Romania’s Competition Council warned companies not to take advantage of the greater demand from consumers amid the panic generated by Covid-19 by increasing the prices these days.

The authorities can enforce exceptional measures to stop unjustified price increases, the head of the competition council Bogdan Chiriţoiu told Agerpres.

The existing legislation allows the competition bodies to temporarily set maximum prices, which has recently happened for certain goods such as surgical masks in European countries, he explained.

The price of surgical masks has also surged in Romania amid high demand and low available inventories.

According to Chiriţoiu, the council is monitoring the prices of food, medical equipment and other products for which demand has increased greatly.

The companies that take advantage of these moments of panic and hike the prices will be fined, Chiriţoiu stressed.

(Photo:  Robkna | Dreamstime.com)

editor@romania-insider.com