Thursday, March 6, 2014, at 14.00, the Competition Council hosted round table on ĂœSectoral constraints of competition: necessity and limits economic liberalization , which was organized by the Competition Council together with the World Bank. The round table was attended by heads of regulatory authorities of the republic of Moldova, namely NRAECIT, NERA, NBM, CCA and NCFM.

     Roundtable participants mentioned that European course can only be ensured by creating a healthy competitive environment that can only be created by the liberalization of the national economy of the Republic of Moldova in accordance with European advanced experiences. In this context, the public authorities of the Republic of Moldova must take major steps to reform the economy to liberalization.

The most important competition issues that have been reported by the society are identified namely on the regulated markets (oil market, insurance, etc. . .). In most cases this situation is not about breach of competition law, but excessive regulation that limits or excludes competition.

     The existence of competition is not an aim itself, it must produce benefits to society and consumers: appropriate and affordable prices, quality products, etc. . In the case of regulated markets, market mechanism and the benefits of competition are substituted in different extent by regulations. In this case, regulators have the task of ensuring a fair price, technical requirements and specifications for quality. For example, the insurance market “Green Card”, the price is fixed by the regulatory authority and can not be changed by the insurance companies but the product (“Green Card” provision) is standard. In this way the benefits of competition are excluded.

     In the end, the roundtable participants noted the need to intensify cooperation regulator authorities in order to liberalize markets (ex-ante and ex-post) to open it for competition, which will contribute to the restructuring and modernization of the Republic of Moldova economy, its integration in European circuit.