Representatives of several petrol station networks are calling for an end to the capping of petrol prices by ANRE’s application of a fixed commercial margin, as this practice has a negative impact on companies’ economic activity. Economic agents discussed this issue at the Economic Council to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, during the meeting of the Working Group “Stimulating and maintaining private investments”, led by Ana Groza, executive director of FIA. The event was attended by Victor Parlicov, Minister of Energy, directors of ANRE, the Competition Council, representatives of Bemol, Petrom and Rompetrol companies, members of the Association of Foreign Investors in Moldova, the European Business Association and the American Chamber of Commerce in Moldova. The economic agents claim that since the current Methodology for calculating the prices of petroleum products (diesel and gasoline) has been applied, the situation on the market has become more complicated and several local companies have closed their gas stations, claiming that the price ceiling calculated and set by ANRE for gasoline and diesel does not cover their costs. And the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine, which have led to high energy prices, have increased the cost of maintaining and operating petrol stations. Energy Minister Victor Parlicov said he has been a consistent advocate of a free oil market. But in times of crisis, capping the prices of oil products has proven to be an effective method. At present the state cannot afford to lift the cap, the minister added. According to Parlicov, some control bodies in Moldova still do not have enough institutional capacity to ensure proper control on this market and cannot determine whether operators do not set prices in a coordinated manner. The participants of the meeting agreed on the need for independent research to show the situation on the market and to come up with proposals to overcome the challenges. The new pricing mechanism for petroleum products approved by the Parliament came into force at the beginning of September 2021.

The Secretariat of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister is supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, funded by the UK Government’s Good Governance Fund.