Moldovan PM wants transparent oil price formation

Chisinau, 23 January /MOLDPRES/-After meeting representatives of oil companies today, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the talks had been held to assure citizens of a transparent price and tariff formation process, rather than to convince oil companies to shrink prices.

“It means that prices should no more include extra-gain and unjustified spending. Citizens must know for sure that their money is only paid for spending that deserves to be included in the price,” Filip said.

The prime minister noted he had had a constructive dialogue with the oil-industry representatives, adding that they had also touched upon the problems oil companies are facing. A new law, according to which oil prices shall be established after the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) approves a methodology to this effect, has entered into force since 1 January 2016. “Though I believe it will happen on 1 April, I count a lot on the willingness of oil companies representatives to adjust pump prices, taking into account the fact that there are prior conditions for that, and one of them is the decrease in the oil price on international markets,” Filip said.

“We will surely notice a decrease,” the prime minister emphasized. Pavel Filip and representatives of oil companies said they had not discussed exact numbers related to the new decreased oil prices.

Two oil companies today decreased the diesel price by 60 bani per liter. Thus, one liter of diesel is sold for 13.96-14.00 lei per liter, against 14.55-14.60 as it was until now.

Gasoline prices have been left unchanged so far. One liter of 95 octane gasoline continues to account for approximately 16.75 lei. Representatives of some oil companies assume gasoline price could shrank by one leu.

The latest cheapening happened on 30 December 2015, when A-95 gasoline pump prices decreased from 17.35 lei to 16.90 lei per liter, and diesel price from 14.95 to 14.60 lei per liter.

(Reporter V.Bercu, Editor M. Jantovan)