Romania’s Competition Council has launched an investigation on the local egg market. It suspects that a cartel may have determined an artificial increase in egg prices in Romania at the end of last year.

“The competition authority suspects that the three-biggest egg importers may have limited egg deliveries to artificially increase the prices,” the Competition Council said in a press release.

Some EU member states were confronted with disruptions in egg production at the end of last year, but this does not explain the amplitude of price increases in Romania. The price of eggs in Romania was at 85% of the EU average in September last year and reached 104% of the EU average in November, according to the Competition Council’s data. The price of eggs remained high in December but fell by over 20% in January.

The Competition Council carried out a preliminary investigation on the egg market in March and concluded that a wider investigation was needed.

Egg consumption in Romania usually increases before Easter and Christmas, which also leads to price fluctuations in these periods.

editor@romania-insider.com