Representatives of public and private sectors plead for demonopolization of economy and fair competition

Representatives of the public and private sectors say the economy should be demonopolized and there should be ensured fair competition in the market, Info-Prim Neo reports. Though the economic entities and the civil society welcomed the creation of the National Agency for the Protection of Competition three years ago, this institution did not do much to demonopolize the economy, while the steps taken are not known and did not produce significant results, it was said during economic debates centering on the demonopolization of economy organized by the Association of Economic Journalists and IDIS Viitorul on February 9. Viorica Carare, director of the National Agency for the Protection of Competition, said the Agency made effort to influence the behavior of the companies with dominant position in the market, including in such areas as information technologies, natural gas and sugar making. “But there are sectors where no company holds a dominant position and the situation there is more complicated as the there is no need to remove the institutional barriers to free competition. Some of the companies become dominant in the market not as a result of mergers or other legal ways, but by fraud,” Carare said. MP Veacersla Ionita, chairman of the parliamentary commission for economy, budget and finance, said the excessive state regulation led to the appearance of monopoles based on partnerships between the government and the economic entities, like in the meat, metals and oil products markets. “The agricultural companies cannot import gasoline and diesel oil, but have to purchase them from the importers as they do not have storage facilities of 6,000 square meters and own capital of US$750,000,” Ionita said. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar said the state distorts the market by certain decisions, as in the case of the metals market that was transferred under the administration of a single company. He also said that the Government's economic recovery and stabilization program for 2009 – 2011 includes 15 measures aimed at demonopolizing the economy. They will be implemented in such areas as the electronic communications market, railway transportation and airlines. Ludmila Negruta, president of the Association of Producers of Moldova, said the market should be more strictly governed so as to identify the imported products of a poor quality that are sold at lower prices than their cost price. The participants said the people should be informed about the steps taken by the Government to demonopolize the economy because the society needs correct signals in this respect.