Bulgaria investigates possible fixing of fuel prices (updated)
25/02/2016 14:51
(Adds details, background)
SOFIA, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's anti-monopoly watchdog
has launched an investigation into the country's only oil
refinery and seven fuel retailers over possible cartel
agreements to fix prices of petrol and diesel fuels, it said on
Thursday.
The Commission for Protection of Competition said in a
statement it had started investigating the Bulgarian units of
Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L , OMV OMVV.VI , Hellenic Petrolleum
HEPr.AT , Nis Petrol, Lukoil LKOH.MM , Rompetrol RORRC.BX
and Bulgarian Petrol 5PET.BB .
It has also launched a probe into Lukoil Neftochim Burgas
oil refinery for possible breaches of competition rules while
selling its fuels on the local market.
"We will not comment until we see the documents," a
spokeswoman for Lukoil Bulgaria said. The other companies were
not immediately available for comment.
The watchdog carried out an analysis on the fuel sector in
the European Union country between 2013 and 2015 and found the
retail price policy of the seven companies was very similar and
too slow to reflect drops in wholesale fuel and production
prices.
"This could have been a result of anti-competition practices
- cartel agreements," the watchdog said.
It also said the prices at which the country's oil refinery
Neftochim Burgas sold its fuels for automobiles on the local
market were higher than prices for exports, with all other
conditions being equal.
The Commission urged the government to ease tax regulations
for import of fuels to help boost competition on the market.
(Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova; Editing by Susan Fenton and
Mark Potter)
((tsvetelia.tsolova@thomsonreuters.com; +359-2-93-99-731;))
Keywords: BULGARIA FUELS/PROBE