CHISINAU COURT CANCELS ANRE DECISION ON FUEL PRICE RAISING

Within several hours after the adoption of the decision on raising fuel tariffs by the National Energy Regulatory Agency, it was cancelled by the Chisinau Appeals Court at the demand of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure and the Agency for Consumer Rights.

They maintain that the ANRE decision was taken illegally, without consultations with the interested persons and with insufficient transparency. The ministry reminded that the ANRE Board sittings, where the issues on regulated tariffs and prices are considered, should be conducted after public consultations and discussions of the draft decisions.

On Tuesday, the ANRE decided to raise the gasoline price by 0.34 lei per liter - to 19.49 lei, and diesel price by 0.32 lei - to 17.41 lei. This decision was cancelled by the court in the evening, but neither consumers nor market operators were notified about this. Thus, in accordance with the Regulation, approved by the ANRE, prices at gas stations were raised at midnight.

Infotag correspondent was told that on Wednesday the market operators will have to change the prices back. An equivalent situation occurred two weeks ago, when prices were valid two days - on May 30 and 31. Back then the ANRE cancelled its own decision on price raising at the demand of Prime Minister Pavel Filip.