Legislation on competition is slowly adjusted to European standards, experts

Moldova should not only adjust the legislation o competition to the European standards, but also promote loyal and effective competition on the market so that all the consumers enjoy products and services of a high quality at reasonable prices, the Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel said during a conference held to launch the study “Adjustment of the Moldovan Legislation to the EU Standards on Competition”, Info-Prim Neo reports. The study was made as part of the Support to the Implementation of Moldova-EU Agreements Project that is financed by the EU. The cost of the project is €5.3 million. According to Eugene Stuart, one of the authors of the study, during three years after the creation of the National Agency for the Protection of Competition, the legislation on competition has been adjusted to the EU standards rather slowly. The decision-making process is often non-transparent and there is no political will to implement decisions on the protection of competition, while the culture of competition in Moldova is at a very low level. The authors of the study recommend adopting a new law on competition as the old one lags behind the economic process, creating a high-level group for defining and monitoring the implementation of the policies on competition and including the regulations related to publicity and disloyal competition in the law on consumer protection. Other recommendations include strengthening the capacity of the regulatory agencies, stepping up control on competition and making effort to develop the culture of competition in Moldova. Viorica Carare, director general of the National Agency for the Protection of Competition, said the recommendations are impartial and many of the conclusions contained in the study are similar to those reached by the Agency’s employees. As to a new law on competition, she said that a bill will be drafted and submitted to the Government by this yearend. Martin Horseling, manager of the Support to the Implementation of Moldova-EU Agreements Project, said the project will be implemented during 30 months and there will be carried out another 16 studies of the legislation and economic and commercial policies implemented in Moldova. According to him, the study of competition and the other studies that will be made are very important in developing the relations with the EU.