Preface by Bogdan M. Chiriţoiu
The Competition Council’s mission is to make markets function well for consumers, undertakings and the economy and it entitles the Council to recommend amendments to laws with an anti-competitive impact. Nevertheless, creating a competitive environment means a joint effort from all stakeholders – companies and authorities – to ensure citizens’ welfare, in their position as end consumers of goods and services.
In recent years, the Competition Council has become more involved in the legislative area, with a more pregnant focus on its role as an advisor to state institutions – the Government, the Parliament, regulators, and local public authorities – for drawing up regulations, so as not to restrict competition.
The experience gathered in this area has shown us that the elimination of barriers to competition from regulations can lead to a decrease of prices, diversification of services and a higher customer switching rate, which, most certainly, benefits consumers.
In this context, I consider an important step for the national economy that, in partnership with the Romanian Government and the OECD, we conducted the project “Competition Assessment of laws and regulations in three sectors of the Romanian economy”. Thus, we concentrated our efforts on improving the legislation in three sectors having a significant weight in the national economy and an important impact on Romania’s economic development: food processing, freight transport and constructions. Next, we will provide all support required for the implementation of the OECD Recommendations so that they would produce benefits over the Romanian economy as soon as possible.
At the same time, I need to mention that this endeavor represents a continuation of the commitments assumed by Romania, as an Associate country to the OECD Competition Committee to assimilate the Recommendations and Guidelines of this elite Organization in the area of competition and not only.
The co-operation between the Competition Council, the Romanian Government and the OECD has led to a transfer of know-how from the OECD to the central administration in Romania.
I hope that this successful project will continue in other areas of the national economy, as it is our intention to reach a legislative system oriented towards economic efficiency and promotion of the general public interest.
Bogdan M. Chiriţoiu
President of the Competition Council, Romania