Competition watchdog gained entry to the petroleum and gas association's office

Bulgaria’s Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) on May 27 entered the office of the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association (BPGA) after the teams of the competition watchdog twice before could not gain entry because they found the office locked and sealed off the building.

The aim is to check for possible cartel agreement and inflated prices of fuels in large petrol stations in the country during a period of low prices of petrol on the world market.

This is a standard procedure. It happened before, it is not a surprise, it is notunusual. We are providing full cooperation, Andrei Delchev, the CEO of the Petroleum and Gas Association said.

He added that more than 50% of the price of fuel consists of excise and VAT.

Each chain decides on its prices. We have a whole range of prices. We see different prices in the remaining 3000 – 3,500 petrol stations. The market is democratic, he noted.

Delchev thanked the CPC’s teams for unsealing the offices of BPGA, so that the employees could do their work.

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On May 20, the Commission for Protection of Competition launched an inspection at the office of the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association after receiving a court permit from the Administrative Court in Sofia. The surprising inspection is part of a cartel investigation into the pricing of motor fuels.

During the visit, the inspection team found that the office was locked and inaccessible. They tried to contact BPGA by telephone, but no one answered. The office was sealed off.