We have been notified about the behavior of Lukoil. We are in the production phase. Currently, the state manages Lukoil, which prevents us from giving recommendations from the CPC. It is about defining the pricing policy and putting a price pressure on competition. Access to ports, access to tax warehouses, access to the oil pipeline is being denied and this hinders competition. Our recommendation is that the special administrator not allow this. This was stated by Zhelyo Boychev, deputy chairman of the CPC, on Nova TV.
Asked whether there is speculation in the fuel market in our country, he said: we have requested retail prices from different points of the country and are now conducting an analysis.
When asked whether a price ceiling would be a useful measure, he said: we can speak from the perspective of market measures. A price ceiling is an extreme measure and it distorts the market. It is applicable under certain conditions, he said, adding that a collective solution should be sought at the EU level.
As for pricing, Boychev is categorical that the state must not allow speculation. For example, someone withholding fuel in order to raise prices. It is clear at what price the fuel enters and at what price it is sold. The fuel market in our country is highly regulated, he explained.
The Deputy Chairman of the CPC also touched on the topic of high markups in the food sector, especially for dairy products. According to him, on the one hand, Bulgarian citizens pay some of the most expensive dairy products, and on the other - producers and processors are failing and going bankrupt. This means that there is a serious problem in the distribution of added value along the chain, he explained.
Boychev said that markups of 60, 70, 80, even 90 percent have been found in retail trade. That is, a product that costs 10 leva at the delivery price can be sold for 17, 18 or even 19 leva. He added that in addition to the commercial markup, the additional conditions that large chains impose on suppliers are also a problem.
The CPC has already begun new analyses and is collecting data on contracts between manufacturers and retail chains.