Publication of a report on the oil products market is a violation of the law - Competition Council.
The Council issued a statement in the context of public accusations against it regarding the situation on the oil products market. It was recalled that the Law on Competition enshrines the main goals of the CC - promoting the legitimate interests of consumers and increasing their welfare by regulating relations related to the protection, maintenance and stimulation of competition. By law, the CC investigates and identifies anti-competitive practices within its competence and has the legal authority to assess the actions or inaction of companies in the market, but it has no authority to set prices for petroleum products. The CC draws attention to the fact that not a single EU antimonopoly body has and does not apply any mechanisms related to pricing, this contradicts the fundamental principle of free competition. The CC reports that the department conducted an industry investigation, which contains competitive conclusions about the situation in the oil product market. The report was sent to interested parties, to the presidency, parliament, NIB, NAER and the Prosecutor General's Office. It is emphasized that this report is not an administrative act, and its publication at this stage would be a serious violation of the law. Companies that appear in the report have the right to challenge the illegal publication and stop the final decision, and the persons who publish the report are liable, including criminal. "The confidential information contained in the report is used only for the purposes for which it was received, and can be disclosed only with the consent of the persons who provided the information, or at the request of the court or other competent authority," the CC notes, commenting on numerous requests to publish the report. - After the approval of the report by the plenum of the Competition Council, this document is a public administrative act subject to judicial review. ". // 03.06.2021 — InfoMarket
