OREANDA-NEWS. January 21, 2011. It was said at the special sitting held by Prime Minister Vladimir Filat to discuss the price growth problem. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar said the rise in prices for petrol and diesel oil in Moldova reflects the tendencies observed in the markets of the region’s countries due to the growth on oil products’ cost in the international exchanges.

Prices for petrol and diesel oil are fixed by oil traders after coordination with the National Power Regulating Agency in accordance with the special methodology regulating their profitability level as well. The prices for oil products fixed in Moldova have no deviations from it. At the same time, according to Valeriu Lazar, analysis shows that even though prices for oil products in Moldova have approached the average European prices, the share of excise taxes in their structure is less than in other countries of the region.

In the Economy Minister’s opinion, it indicates that a part of the unrecorded profit remains with the operators. Prime Minister Vladimir Filat reminded that the Moldovan government had increased the excise-taxes for oil products last year to provide payments to the budget. According to him, the last year growth of the macroeconomic parameters and indicators proves that the authorities did a right thing and the country will be resources for development.

At the same time, Vladimir Filat said the Ministry of Economy and the National Power Regulating Agency need to hold another meeting with oil product importers to discuss the methodology of formation of prices for oil products and not to allow an ungrounded rise in the cost of petrol and diesel oil in the home market.

He also emphasized that when oil products grow in price in the international exchanges, the local oil traders hurry to increase the prices, but when the cost in the international market goes down, they don’t hurry to cut the prices motivating it by the availability of stocks of fuel purchased at higher prices. According to Prime Minister, when prices for oil products decrease in the international markets, their cost should be cut in the local market as well.