Romania’s Competition Council has warned companies against artificially increasing prices, stressing that businesses must independently determine their commercial strategies and avoid practices that could distort market competition.
The authority emphasized that attempts to anticipate or signal future price increases could fall under the scope of competition law if they lead to coordinated behavior among competitors. According to the council, each company must set its pricing policy independently and refrain from actions that could influence competitors’ decisions.
The warning comes amid a challenging international economic environment, which may create incentives for companies to raise prices. The Competition Council said it is closely monitoring markets to ensure that businesses do not take advantage of the current context to artificially inflate prices.
Bogdan Chirițoiu, President of the Romanian Competition Council, noted that public statements by company representatives about their intentions to raise prices can have unintended consequences. Such announcements may facilitate alignment between competitors and ultimately result in artificially higher prices across the market. These practices may violate both national and European competition rules because they distort competition and harm consumers.
The authority also reminded market participants that business associations can be held responsible for competition law violations if their decisions, recommendations, or other activities influence the behavior of member companies in a way that restricts competition.
To avoid potential infringements, the Competition Council encourages companies to carefully assess whether their initiatives comply with competition rules and to consult the authority when necessary.
For consumers, the council highlighted the availability of the “Price Monitor” application, which allows users to compare prices offered by major retailers. The tool is available both as a web platform and as a mobile application for iOS and Android devices. It provides information on food prices across large retail chains and offers various search, sorting, and filtering options designed to help consumers identify the best available offers.
