The Competition Council investigates the construction materials market

The Competition Council has started an extensive analysis on the construction materials market in the context of the signals regarding the increase of product prices, both on the Romanian market, but also at international level.

"Although, during the Covid pandemic, the construction sector managed to largely support the national economy, this field is facing an increase in the prices of certain construction materials. Under these conditions, there is a risk of malfunctions in the supply of raw materials for ongoing investments, and with regard to new investments, entrepreneurs may have reservations about bidding, and may have difficulty in making fair and competitive bids due to exceeding the budget. Therefore, we want to identify the causes that generated these developments and to impose measures to improve the functioning of the markets "said Bogdan Chirițoiu, President of the Competition Council.

Thus, the Competition Authority will analyze the evolution of prices for the main construction materials (eg bitumen with road applications, BCA, bricks and ceramic blocks, polystyrene used for thermal insulation, iron, steel and rolled products, PVC and polypropylene products, cement, etc.) to identify possible market failures and the causes that led to the price increase.

Following the analysis, the authority may propose recommendations, respectively measures to remedy, mitigate and prevent any negative effects on competition and, implicitly, on consumers, and if it discovers violations of the law, it initiates the necessary procedures to sanction them.