TIRANA, Nov.14- The market of hydro-carbons will be the next field for investigation by the Competition Authority of Albania. The investigation follows the need for a report for the entire energy market in the country, confirmed by a study compiled by the Analysis and Studies Section and the monitoring done by the respective Secretariat. This study has confirmed that there are serious reasons to believe that the competitiveness of this market has been gravely distorted. The Competition Authority explains that the importance of the investigation comes at a time when energy has become crucial and high oil prices have a serious effect on all business costs and translates into changes in consumers’ lives. Oil importers, on the other hand, deny there are unfair competition or oligopoly arrangements. At the same time, oil prices worldwide are skyrocketing, the effect of this is still to be felt because in Albania the dollar value has been going down.
Fine for mobile companies
Albania ‘s Competition Authority has fined the two cellular telephone operators, Albanian Mobile Communication and Vodafone Albania, a total of 3.76 million euro for overcharging consumers. The country’s Competition Authority fined Albanian Mobile Communications, or AMC, 211.5 million leks (1.76 million euro) and Vodafone Albania 242.6 million leks (2 million euro) for violating antitrust laws and “abusing their dominant position (and) setting unfair prices in the mobile phone market,” a statement said. The companies had set prices far above the European Union and regional average prices during 2004-05. Officials at AMC and Vodafone said they needed to review the commission’s ruling before responding. AMC was opened in 1996 as a state-run venture before 85 percent of its shares were sold to the Greek-Norwegian company, Cosmote-Telenor, in 2000 while Vodafone Albania was launched in August 2001. Together, they have more than two million subscribers. After buying the former state-owned fixed-line Albtelecom earlier this year, the Turkish Calik Enerji telekomunikasyon a.s., a consortium of Calik Enerji and Turk Telekom, will launch the third Mobil operation in spring 2008.
