Telecommunication operators solicit fastening creation of Agency for Concurrence Protection

Economic agents of the telecommunication sector solicited authorities to fasten the creation of the Agency for Concurrence Protection. The communist MP, Valeriu Calmatui informed about this on July 11, after a meeting with the telecommunication operators and specialized bodies of the field. The meeting was organized at the initiative of the MP with the support of the International Business Association and Parliament (IBAP). According to the MP, the discussions were especially held on the negative effects of the existent legal framework on the enterprises of the telecommunication sector, as well as methods of eliminating these effects. “The most important problem tackled by the operators was the unfair concurrence on the market. In this context, the participants reached to the conclusion that the Agency for Concurrence Protection must start its activity as fast as possible”, the quoted source said. Calmatui specified that this structure exists de jure but is not created de facto. The basic role of the Agency will be of ensuring a fair concurrence, fact that will contribute to improving the services on the telecommunication market, but also to diminishing prices. As the MP informed, the same body will determine the dominant operator on the market. The representative of USAID on improving concurrence and development of enterprises, Larisa Bugaian mentioned about the importance of the private sector in the process of elaborating normative acts. “The law will be respected only when the interests of the economic agents will be taken into consideration, ensuring in this way a good functioning of the law”, Larisa Bugaian states. According to the quoted source, the area of informational technologies is fundamental for the development of other areas of the national economy. The executive director of IBAP, Romeo Turcan, has told Info-Prim Neo that the International Business Association and Parliament is a non-profit organization, which is not performing lobby activities and aims at facilitating the dialogue between MPs and businessmen. The quoted source said that, according to the ethical code of IBAP, the participants do not have the right to make political advertising or to promote personal interests, the only goal being to increase the legislative framework. According to Turcan, MPs can initiate a program by applying to IBAP and respecting the ethical Code. IBAP offers also training courses to MPs, giving them the possibility to visit different companies in order to get acquainted with their activity and to identify gaps of the legislation regulating the activity of these companies. At the Tuesday meeting there was decided to organize 3 visits at several telecommunication companies, including “Moldcell” and “Voxtel”. IBAP activates in Moldova since October 2005, but its activities will be officially inaugurated only in two weeks.