Raport Anual

Annual Report
Cuvnt nainte Foreword
=
 Cuprins

Introducere
PRIORITILE CONSILIULUI CONCURENEI 12

CAPITOLUL 1
CADRUL LEGISLATIV 16
1.1 Legislaia primar 16
1.2. Legislaia secundar 16
1.3. Raportare-monitorizare ajutoare de stat 18
1.4. Asigurarea prevalenei legislaiei n domeniul concurenei i
ajutorului de stat 20
1.4.1. Sistemul de consultri ex-ante 22
1.4.2. Emiterea de avize i formularea de puncte de vedere
asupra actelor normative 24

CAPITOLUL 2
IMPLEMENTAREA LEGISLAIEI N DOMENIUL CONCURENEI 28
2.1. Investigaii 28
2.1.1. Investigaii din oficiu 32
2.1.2. Investigaii declanate ca urmare a unor plngeri 36
2.1.3. Investigaii declanate ca urmare a unor cereri de dispens 38
2.1.4. Investigaii complexe 38
2.2. nsprirea politicii de sancionare 42
2.3. Activitatea decizional 44
2.3.1. nelegeri ntre agenii economici - art. 5 46
2.3.2. Abuzul de poziie dominant - art.6 46
2.3.3. Concentrri economice 48
2.3.4. Omisiunea notificrii 48
2.3.5. Acte ale administraiei publice 48

CAPITOLUL 3
IMPLEMENTAREA LEGISLAIEI N DOMENIUL AJUTORULUI DE STAT 50
3.1. Investigaii 50
3.1.1. Investigaii finalizate 52
3.1.2. Investigaii n curs de desfurare 58
3.2. Activitatea de monitorizare 58
3.2.1. Zone defavorizate 60
3.2.2. Zone libere 64
3.2.3. Parcuri industriale 66
3.2.4. Alte aciuni de monitorizare 66
3.3. Raportul ajutoarelor de stat acordate n Romnia n perioada 2002 - 2004 70
3.4. Decizii 72
3.4.1. Ajutoare de stat autorizate 74
3.4.2. Ajutoare de stat incompatibile 82
3.4.3. Msuri care nu constituie ajutor de stat 82
 Summary

Introduction
COMPETITION COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES 13

CHAPTER 1
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK 17
1.1 Primary legislation 17
1.2. Secondary legislation 17
1.3. State aid monitoring and reporting 19
1.4. Ensuring the prevalence of the legislation in the field of competition
and State aid 21
1.4.1. Ex-ante consultation system 23
1.4.2. Issuing binding opinions and drafting
points of view on normative acts 25

CHAPTER 2
LEGISLATION ENFORCEMENT IN THE COMPETITION FIELD 29
2.1. Investigations 29
2.1.1. Ex- officio investigations 33
2.1.2. Investigations upon complaints 37
2.1.3. Investigation upon requests for individual exemption 39
2.1.4. Complex investigations 39
2.2. More deterrent sanctioning policy 43
2.3. Decision-making activity 45
2.3.1. Agreements between undertakings - art.5 47
2.3.2. Abuse of dominant position - art.6 47
2.3.3. Economic concentrations 49
2.3.4. Failure to notify 49
2.3.5. Acts of the public administration 49

CHAPTER 3
STATE AID 51
3.1. Investigations 51
3.1.1. Completed investigations 53
3.1.2. Ongoing investigations 59
3.2. Monitoring activity 59
3.2.1. Deprived areas 61
3.2.2. Free zones 65
3.2.3. Industrial Parks 67
3.2.4. Other monitoring actions 67
3.3. Report on State aids granted in Romania during 2002 - 2004 71
3.4. Decisions 73
3.4.1. Authorized State Aids 75
3.4.2. Incompatible State aids 83
3.4.3. Measures that do not represent State aid 83
CAPITOLUL 4
APLICAREA REGULILOR DE CONCUREN
N SECTOARELE REGLEMENTATE 86
4.1. Comunicaii 86
4.2. Servicii potale 88
4.3. Energie 88
4.4. Gaze naturale 88
4.5. Energia electric 90

CAPITOLUL 5
PROMOVAREA CULTURII CONCURENEI 92
5.1. Seminarii, conferine, mese rotunde, ntlniri 92
5.2. Participari la trguri naionale i internaionale 96
5.3. Constituirea Grupului de lucru pentru promovarea culturii concurenei 98
5.4. Publicaii pentru promovarea culturii concurenei 98
5.5. Transparena 98
5.6. Relaiile Consiliului Concurenei cu mass-media 100

CAPITOLUL 6
ACTIVITATEA CONSILIULUI CONCURENEI N DOMENIUL
INTEGRRII EUROPENE I RELAIILOR INTERNAIONALE 104
6.1. Pregtirea pentru aderare la Unuinea European 104
6.2. Asistena PHARE 106
6.3. Relaiile internaionale ale Consiliului Concurenei 112
6.3.1.Relaiile bilaterale ale Consiliului Concurenei 112
6.3.2. Relaiile Consiliului Concurenei cu organizaiile internaionale 120

CAPITOLUL 7
NTRIREA CAPACITII INSTITUIONALE 126

Anexa nr. 1
Legislaia secundar n domeniul concurenei
adoptat n anul 2005 130
Anexa nr. 2
Legislaia secundar n domeniul ajutorului de stat
adoptat n anul 2005 132
Anexa nr. 3
Valoarea amenzilor aplicate n perioada 2003 - 2005 134
Anexa nr. 4
Concurena - situaia deciziilor emise
n perioada 1 ianuarie - 31 decembrie 2005 136
Anexa nr. 5
Controale efectuate n cursul anului 2005 138
Anexa nr. 6
Ajutor de Stat Situaia deciziilor emise n perioada
1 ianuarie - 31 decembrie 2005 140
CHAPTER 4
IMPLEMENTING COMPETITION RULES
IN REGULATORY SECTORS 87
4.1. Communications 87
4.2. Postal services 89
4.3. Energy 89
4.4. Natural gas 89
4.5. Power energy 91

CHAPTER 5
COMPETITION ADVOCACY 93
5.1. Seminars, conferences, round tables, meetings 93
5.2. Participation to national and international fairs 97
5.3. The establishment of the Working group for competition advocacy 99
5.4. Publications for competition advocacy 99
5.5. Transparency 99
5.6. The relation of the Competition Council with mass-media 101

CHAPTER 6
THE COMPETITION COUNCIL'S ACTIVITY IN THE EUROPEAN
INTEGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 105
6.1. Preparation for the accession to the EU 105
6.2. PHARE assistance 107
6.3. The International relations of the Competition Council 113
6.3.1. The bilateral relations of the Competition Council 113
6.3.2. The relations of the Competition Council
with the international organizations 121

CHAPTER 7
STRENGTHENING THE INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY 127

Annex no.1
Secondary legislation on competition
adopted in 2005 131
Annex no. 2
Secondary legislation on State aid
adopted in 2005 133
Annex no. 3
Value of fines applied in the period 2003 - 2005 135
Annex no.4
Competition - the situation of decisions issued
in the period January 1st - December 31, 2005 137
Annex no. 5
Controls undertaken during 2005 139
Annex no. 6
State Aid - Decisions issued in the period January
1st - December 31, 2005 141
 Introducere

PRIORITILE CONSILIULUI CONCURENEI

Anul 2005 a fost decisiv pentru Consiliul Concurenei n ceea ce privete consolidarea
autonomiei sale funcionale n luarea deciziilor i afirmarea credibilitii n mediul de afaceri, n
rndul autoritilor statului i, nu n ultimul rnd, n faa consumatorilor.

Consiliul Concurenei i-a orientat ntreaga activitate pornind de la recomandrile cuprinse

n Raportul Comisiei Europene pe anul 2004, astfel nct s nu existe dificulti n asigurarea
condiiilor necesare integrrii n Uniunea European i funcionrii economiei de pia.
Prioritile stabilite pentru 2005 au vizat att obiective specifice activitii Consiliului
Concurenei, ct i obiective generale, care au constituit un suport puternic pentru ndeplinirea
misiunii sale.

Obiectivele generale asupra crora s-a concentrat activitatea Consiliului au fost:

Continuarea aciunilor viznd pregtirea pentru aderarea la Uniunea European;

Consolidarea capacitii administrative a Consiliului Concurenei;
Participarea tot mai activ a Consiliului Concurenei la activitile specifice n plan
internaional i european.

n acelai timp, s-a acordat o importan deosebit unor obiective specifice, cum ar fi:

n domeniul concurenei:
- mbuntirea gradului de implementare a dispoziiilor legale;
- asigurarea prevalenei legislaiei n domeniul concurenei asupra legislaiei n
domeniul afacerilor.
n domeniul ajutorului de stat:
- ntrirea capacitii de evaluare i de implementare a legislaiei;
- mbuntirea monitorizrii ajutoarelor de stat.
Promovarea culturii concurenei i ajutorului de stat

Convingerea c, fr asigurarea unui mediu concurenial normal nu poate exista o

economie de pia funcional, pe de o parte, i necesitatea de a ne alinia la practicile europene,
pe de alt parte, au determinat Consiliul Concurenei s-i intensifice eforturile pentru ndeplinirea
acestor imperative.

Prioritatea major a ntregii activiti desfurate n anul 2005 a constituit-o

pregtirea integrrii autoritii romne de concuren n familia european.

n acest context, evenimentul special care a avut o influen semnificativ asupra

rezultatelor obinute de Consiliul Concurenei n anul 2005, a fost vizita Comisarului European

12
Introduction

COMPETITION COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES

2005 was a decisive year for the Competition Council regarding the consolidation of its functional
autonomy in the decisional process and the increase in credibility within the business
environment, among public authorities and, not the least, among the consumers.

The Competition Council has directed its entire activity according to the recommendations of the
European Commission's 2004 Monitoring Report, in order to eliminate any possible difficulties
that may arise in ensuring the necessary conditions for EU integration and a functional market
economy.
Priorities established for 2005 envisaged both objectives specific to the Competition Council's
activity, as well as general objectives, representing a solid support for the fulfillment of the national
competition authority's mission.

The general objectives that the Council's activity concentrated upon were:

Continuation of preparation for EU accession;

Consolidation of the Competition Council's administrative capacity;
A more active involvement of the Competition Council on the European and international
competition stage.

Concurrently, a particular attention was granted to specific objectives, such as:

In the field of competition:

- improving the enforcement record;
- ensuring the prevalence of the competition legislation over business legislation.
In the field of State aid:
- improving Competition Council's capacity to assess and implement legislation;
- improving the State aid monitoring.
Competition and State aid advocacy

The Competition Council intensified its efforts in view of fulfilling the above-mentioned imperative
objectives, taking into account that a functional market economy cannot exist in the lack of a
normal competition environment, on one hand, and considering the necessity of alignment with
EU practice, on the other hand.

Preparing the integration of the Romanian authority in the European family of competition
authorities represented the major priority of the Council's activity in 2005.

In this context, the special event that had significant influences on the Competition Council's

13
 pentru Concuren, doamna Neelie Kroes, primul comisar cu competene n materie de
concuren care a vizitat Romnia.

n data de 11 mai 2005, n prezena Comisarului

European pentru Concuren, au avut loc la sediul Consiliului
Concurenei convorbiri ntre delegaia Comisiei Europene i
reprezentanii autoritii romne pentru concuren.

Pentru a sprijini integrarea ct mai rapid a

Consiliului Concurenei i n condiii ct mai bune n reeaua
autoritilor europene de concuren, n cadrul ntrevederii
s-a procedat la un schimb de preri legate de modul de
implementare a practicilor i mecanismelor specifice n
domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat.

Cu aceast ocazie au fost prezentate prioritile

Consiliului Concurenei pentru perioada urmtoare, cu accent pe asigurarea stabilitii
instituionale, raportarea stadiului ndeplinirii angajamentelor prevzute n clauza de salvgardare
i continuarea activitii de formare profesional a experilor romni.

Au fost abordate aspecte privind etapele care urmeaz a fi parcurse n legtur cu

aplicarea msurilor menite s evite riscul de activare a clauzei de salvgardare i de amnare a
aderrii Romniei la Uniunea European. n acest context a fost evocat disponibilitatea prilor
pentru dezvoltarea cooperrii administrative i recurgerea la mecanismele de preconsultare cu
DG Concuren din cadrul Uniunii Europene n adoptarea deciziilor n domeniul ajutorului de stat.

Oficialii europeni au apreciat faptul c este n interesul autoritilor romne i al mediului de

afaceri s susin instituirea unui sistem de monitorizare eficient, care s poat demonstra c
Romnia controleaz permanent i pe deplin toate msurile de ajutor de stat.

n plan extern, Consiliul Concurenei i-a consolidat relaiile cu celelalte autoriti de

concuren prin ncheierea de acorduri de cooperare cu autoritile din Frana, Portugalia,
Ungaria, Croaia, Italia i Turcia, n perspectiva integrrii n structurile Uniunii Europene.

Relaii foarte strnse exist, de asemenea, i cu autoritile de concuren din Germania,

Olanda, Marea Britanie, Austria i Belgia. n acelai scop, Consiliul Concurenei i-a propus
consolidarea poziiei sale n relaia cu organizaiile internaionale, care au activitate i n
domeniul concurenei, cum sunt Reeaua Internaional de Concuren (ICN), Organizaia pentru
Cooperare i Dezvoltare Economic (OCDE) i Conferina Naiunilor Unite pentru Comer i
Dezvoltare (UNCTAD).

Eforturile Consiliului Concurenei de mbuntire continu a activitii proprii au constituit

premise favorabile pentru integrarea autoritii romne de concuren n structurile de lucru ale
organismelor internaionale. n acest sens, la 15 decembrie 2005, Consiliul Organizaiei de
Cooperare i Dezvoltare Economic (OCDE) a hotrt acceptarea Romniei ca Observator la
lucrrile Comitetului de Concuren al acestui organism internaional. Decizia adoptat de OCDE
reprezint o confirmare a progreselor nregistrate de Consiliul Concurenei i o recunoatere a
instituiei drept o autoritate credibil pe plan internaional.

14
achievements in 2005 was the first visit of a European Competition Commissioner in Romania,
Mrs. Neelie Kroes.

On 11 May 2005, in the presence of the European Competition

Commissioner, at the Competition Council's headquarters, meetings of
the European Commission delegation and the national competition
authority took place.

In view of supporting the rapid integration of the Competition Council in

the European competitions authorities' network and in better
conditions, within the above-mentioned meeting, an exchange of views
related to the implementation of practices and specific mechanisms in
the field of competition and State aid took place.

On this occasion, the Competition Council's priorities for the next period
were presented, emphasizing the assurance of institutional stability,
reporting the status of fulfillment of the commitments undertaken by
means of the safeguard clause and continuing the professional training
of the Romanian experts.

This meeting addressed issues regarding the steps to be undertaken for the implementation of
measures meant to avoid the risk of activating the safeguard clause and of postponement of
Romania's accession to the European Union. In this context, the parties' availability for developing
the administrative cooperation and using pre-consultation mechanisms with DG Competition in
adopting decisions in the field of State aid was outlined.

The European officials stated that supporting the setting up of an efficient monitoring system, able
to demonstrate that Romania controls all State aid measures on a permanent basis serves the
best interest of the Romanian authorities and the business environment.

On the international level, the Competition Council has consolidated its relations with other
competition authorities by means of signing cooperation agreements with national
authorities of France, Portugal, Hungary, Italy, Croatia and Turkey, in view of integration in the
European Union's structures.

Tight relations have also been developed with competition authorities from Italy, Germany,
Holland, Great Britain, Austria, and Belgium. For the same purpose, the Competition Council
envisaged the consolidation of its position in relation with international authorities, with
activities in the field of competition, such as International Competition Network (ICN), Organization
for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) and United Nations Conference for Trade and
Development (UNCTAD).

The efforts of the Competition Council towards a permanent improvement of its activity
represented incentives for the integration of the Romanian competition authority in the structures
of international organisms. In this sense, in December 15, 2005, the OECD Council decided to
accept Romania as Observer to the works of its Competition Committee. OECD's decision is a
confirmation of the progresses registered by the Competition Council and its recognition as a
credible authority at international level.

15
 Capitolul

1 CADRUL LEGISLATIV

Prin preluarea de ctre Consiliul Concurenei a celor mai noi

evoluii ale legislaiei comunitare, procesul de aliniere a legislaiei
romneti la principiile regulilor comunitare n domeniul antitrust i
ajutorului de stat a continuat i n cursul anului 2005.

Procesul de armonizare legislativ se desfoar permanent,

concomitent cu mbuntirea practicii n domeniul concurenei i
ajutorului de stat.

Este de remarcat faptul c la nivelul Comisiei Europene s-a

precizat c n acest stadiu, legislaia romneasc este deplin
armonizat cu legislaia existent la nivel europen, att n ceea ce
privete concurena, ct i ajutorul de stat.

1.1. Legislaia primar

Legislaia de baz, cu modificrile i completrile ulterioare, n

domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat, a fost republicat n cursul
anului 2005, astfel:
Legea concurenei nr.21 din 10 aprilie 1996 - n Monitorul
Oficial al Romniei, Partea I, nr.742 din data de 16 august
2005;
Legea nr.143 din 27 iulie 1999 - n Monitorul Oficial al
Romniei, Partea I, nr.744 din data de 16 august 2005.

1.2. Legislaia secundar

n vederea corelrii legislaiei secundare cu noile reglementri

prevzute de legislaia primar, Consiliul Concurenei a adoptat n cursul
anului 2005 un regulament i 5 instruciuni n domeniul
concurenei (Anexa nr.1), respectiv 8 regulamente i 2 instruciuni
n domeniul ajutorului de stat (Anexa nr.2).

Concuren

Au fost transpuse prevederile regulamentelor i comunicrilor

Comisiei Europene privind:
exceptarea unor categorii de acorduri prin transfer de
tehnologie;
ndrumrile informale (scrisori de ndrumare) n cazuri individuale
de practici anticoncureniale;
soluionarea plngerilor.

Prin adoptarea Instruciunilor privind soluionarea de ctre

Consiliul Concurenei a plngerilor referitoare la prevederile art.5
i 6 din Legea concurenei nr.21/1996, cu modificrile i
completrile ulterioare Consiliul Concurenei i poate concentra
activitatea, pe de o parte, pe aplicarea regulilor de concuren n

16
 Chapter

LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
1
By means of transposing by the Competition Council of the recent
evolutions of community legislation, the process of alignment of the
Romanian legislation to community principles in the field of antitrust and
State aid has continued throughout 2005.

This legislative harmonization process is carried out on a continuous

basis, at the same time with the improvement of the practice in the field
of competition and State aid.

It is to be noted that declarations at EC level stated that the Romanian

legislation is currently fully aligned with the acquis communautaire, both
in competition and State aid field.

1.1. Primary legislation

Primary legislation, with further modifications and completions, in the

field of competition and State aid was republished during 2005, as
follows:
Competition Law no. 21 of April 10th 1996 - in the Official
Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 742 of August 16th 2005;
State aid Law no. 143 of July 27th 1999 - in the Official Gazette
of Romania, Part I, no. 744 of August 16th 2005.

1.2. Secondary legislation

In view of correlating secondary legislation with the new regulations

provisioned by the primary legislation, the Competition Council adopted
a Regulation and 5 Guidelines in the field of competition (Annex I), as
well as 8 Regulations and 2 Guidelines in the field of State aid
(Annex II) during 2005.

Competition

In the field of competition, were transposed the provisions of European

Commission's regulations and communications on:
the exemption of certain agreements on technology transfer;
informal guidance in individual cases of anticompetitive practices;
solving complaints.

By adopting the Guidelines on the solving by the Competition Council

of complaints with regard to article 5 and 6 of Competition Law
no. 21/1996, with further modifications and completions, the
Competition Council can focus its activity on the enforcement of
competition rules in cases under its competence, on one side, focusing
on most important distortions of the legislation in this field, as well as on

17
 cazurile care sunt de competena sa, cu accent pe analiza celor mai grave nclcri ale legislaiei
n domeniu, iar, pe de alt parte, pe stabilirea cazurilor n care trebuie s acioneze n scopul
definirii politicii de concuren asigurnd astfel aplicarea coerent a art.5 i 6 din lege.

Ajutor de stat

Au fost transpuse prevederile regulamentelor comunitare privind:

domeniul industriei carbonifere;
ajutorul de stat pentru IMM-uri;
instruirea angajailor;
ajutorul de stat pentru salvare-restructurare;
ajutorul de stat pentru nchidere n sectorul siderurgic;
procedura de investigaie n materia ajutorului de stat;
ajutorul de stat pentru producia cinematografic i de televiziune;
rata dobnzii aplicat n cazul recuperrii sau rambursrii ajutorului de stat ilegal i a celui
interzis;
definirea unei ntreprinderi care intr n categoria de IMM.

1.3. Raportare-monitorizare ajutoare de stat

O atenie special s-a acordat crerii unui cadru legal corespunztor, necesar raportrii i
monitorizrii ajutoarelor de stat.

Regulamentul privind Registrul ajutoarelor de stat

Este foarte important de subliniat faptul c, la nivel comunitar, nu exist o reglementare

similar, regulamentul fiind adoptat la iniiativa autoritii romne de concuren.

Prin adoptarea acestui regulament i instituirea Registrului ajutoarelor de stat s-a urmrit
crearea unei modaliti moderne de eviden, n format electronic, care va oferi instituiilor
statului i cetenilor date i informaii legate de ajutoarele de stat acordate n Romnia.

Pentru ncrcarea bazei de date ataat Registrului ajutoarelor de stat, furnizorii de ajutor
raporteaz toate ajutoarele de stat acordate n baza deciziilor de autorizare ale Consiliului
Concurenei, ajutoarele de stat nesupuse obligaiei de notificare, ajutoarele de stat cu caracter
social sau cele destinate nlturrii efectelor cauzate de dezastre naturale sau de evenimente
excepionale, precum i orice corecii la nregistrrile anterioare.

Totodat, a fost adoptat un nou regulament privind procedurile de raportare i

monitorizare a ajutoarelor de stat care simplific aceste proceduri i scurteaz termenul n
care autoritile responsabile au obligaia de a informa Consiliul Concurenei cu privire la
ajutoarele de stat acordate. Potrivit noului regulament, raportarea va fi trimestrial i nu anual
aa cum era prevzut n vechea reglementare.

n virtutea colaborrii existente, venind astfel n sprijinul Consiliului Concurenei, Guvernul

Romniei a adoptat:

Ordonana de urgen nr.129 din 15 septembrie 2005 pentru modificarea i completarea

O.G. nr. 92/2003 privind Codul de procedur fiscal

18
the selection of cases in which to act in view of defining competition policy, thus ensuring
consistent application of articles 5 and 6 of the law, on the other side.

State aid

The following European provisions were transposed:

coal industry;
State aid for SMEs;
State aid for training;
State aid for rescue and restructuring;
State aid for closure in the steel sector,
Investigation procedure in the field of State aid;
State aid for cinema and TV production;
Interest rate applied in case of recovery or reimbursement of illegal and prohibited State
aid;
An undertaking's inclusion within the SMEs category.

1.3. State aid monitoring and reporting

Special attention has been paid to the establishment of an appropriate legal framework,
required by the reporting and monitoring of State aid.

Regulation on the State aid register

Note should be made that a similar regulation is not in force at community level, the Regulation
being adopted at the Romanian competition authority's initiative.

Adopting this Regulation and setting up this register aims at creating a modern monitoring
method, in electronic format, which provides information on the State aid granted in Romania to
State institutions and Romanian citizens.

In view of completing the data base attached to the State aid register, the State aid grantors shall
report all State aids granted on the basis of the Competition Council's authorization decisions,
State aids not subject to the notification obligation, those having social character or destined to
eliminate the effects of natural disasters or exceptional occurrences, as well as any corrections to
previous registrations.

In the same time with the setting up of the State aid register, a new Regulation on reporting and
monitoring State aid was adopted, simplifying these procedures and cutting short the period in
which the responsible authorities have the obligation to inform the Competition Council with
regard to the State aid granted. According to the new Regulation, the reporting shall be carried
out on a three month basis and not annually, as stipulated by the old regulation.

In the context of current cooperation, in the support of the Competition Council, Romanian
Government adopted:

Government Emergency Ordinance no. 129 of 15 September 2005 on modifying and

completing GO no. 92/2003 on the Fiscal Procedure Code

19
 n conformitate cu prevederile acestei ordonane, stoparea acordrii ajutoarelor de
stat se realizeaz prin emiterea unei decizii a Consiliului Concurenei, iar n ceea ce
privete recuperarea unui ajutor de stat ilegal sau interzis, dispus prin deciziile
Consiliului Concurenei, aceasta constituie titlu executoriu1.

Hotrrea nr.490/26.05.2005

Adoptat n scopul accelerrii procesului de implementare a reglementrilor privind

ajutorul de stat, prin aceast hotrre a fost stabilit cuantumul amenzilor pentru faptele care
constituie contravenii n conformitate cu prevederile art.41 din Legea ajutorului de stat,
referitoare la nerespectarea obligaiilor: ntreprinderilor publice (art.34); ntreprinderilor care
beneficiaz de drepturi speciale sau exclusive ori care presteaz servicii economice de interes
general (art.35); ntreprinderilor publice care acioneaz n sectorul industriei prelucrtoare
(art.36), precum i pentru unele fapte svrite de beneficiarii de ajutor de stat.

1.4. Asigurarea prevalenei legislaiei

n domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat

n baza competenelor sale, Consiliul Concurenei poate urmri, din oficiu, msurile
legislative sau administrative i preveni efectele acestora fie ex-ante2, fie ex-post3.

Consiliul Concurenei a acionat cu perseveren pentru

asigurarea prevalenei legislaiei n domeniul concurenei
asupra celorlalte acte normative asigurnd astfel transpunerea n
practic a regulilor concurenei cu rezultate vizibile n promovarea
i ncurajarea iniiativelor economice, n beneficiul mediului
concurenial.

Analiza de Impact a Reglementrii (AIR) este

instrumentul utilizat pentru evaluarea sistematic a impactului
reglementrilor aflate n stadiu de proiect sau deja n vigoare.
Aceasta are rolul de a identifica eventualele efecte
anticoncureniale neprevzute de legiuitor la redactarea actelor
normative i de a gsi modalitile cele mai adecvate pentru a
corecta sau elimina aceste efecte. n acest scop, la iniiativa
Consiliului Concurenei, a fost nfiinat o unitate specializat de
aplicare a tehnicilor de tip AIR, alctuit din reprezentani ai
ministerelor.

Participarea sptmnal a unui reprezentant al

Consiliului Concurenei la reuniunile pregtitoare ale edinelor de guvern n care se dezbat
actele normative ce urmeaz a fi incluse pe ordinea de zi a edinelor de guvern a avut ca rezultat
identificarea msurilor cu potenial efect anticoncurenial, precum i a msurilor susceptibile a
conine dispoziii prin care se acord ajutoare de stat.

1.4.1. Sistemul de consultri ex-ante

1
nscris ntocmit conform dispoziiilor legale de ctre organele competente, care permite pornirea executrii silite n vederea realizrii drepturilor recunoscute
creditorului prin respectivul nscris
2
nainte ca msura s fie adoptat de ctre stat
3
dup ce msura a fost adoptat

20
According to the provisions for this Ordinance, ceasing the granting of State aid is carried out
by issuing, by the Competition Council, of a decision, and the recovery of an illegal or
prohibited aid, deemed by the Competition Council's decisions, is qualified as writ of
execution1.

Decision no. 490/26.05.2005

Adopted for accelerating the implementation process of the State aid regulations, this Decision
establishes the amount of fines for infringements according to the provisions of article 41 of the
State aid Law, on the non-observance of the obligations by: public undertakings (article 34);
undertakings benefiting of special or exclusive rights or providing economic services of general
interest (article 35); public undertakings operating in the field of processing industry (article 36),
as well as for certain acts of State aid beneficiaries.

1.4 Ensuring the prevalence of the legislation

in the field of competition and State aid

On the basis of its competences, the Competition Council may ex-officio monitor the legislative
measures and may prevent their effects, either ex-ante2 or ex-post3.

The Competition Council acted on a continuous basis in view

of ensuring the prevalence of the legislation in the field
of competition over other normative acts, therefore
ensuring the transposition of the competition rules with clear
results in the promotion and encouraging of economic
initiatives, in the benefit of the competition environment.

The Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is the

instrument used for the systematic evaluation of the impact
of regulations both in the project phase and already in force.
It has the role of identifying possible anticompetitive effects
unpredicted by the legislative body when drafting normative
acts and of finding most appropriate means to correct or
eliminate these effects. To this end, at the Competition
Council's initiative, a specialized unit of applying RIA
techniques was set up, formed by the ministries'
representatives.

The weekly participation of the Competition Council's

representative to the preliminary Government meetings in
which normative acts to be included on the agenda of government meetings are debated, has as
effect the identification of measures with potential anticompetitive effect, as well as those
granting State aid.

1
Act drafted by the competent authorities according to legal provisions, allowing the beginning of forced execution in view of accomplishing the creditor's rights by
that act
2
Prior to the adoption of that measure by the State
3
Following the adoption of that measure by the State

21
 1.4.1. Sistemul de consultri ex-ante

n cadrul sistemului de consultri ex-ante, Consiliul Concurenei i-a intensificat dialogul cu

autoritile publice att n cadrul Grupului Interministerial de lucru pe probleme de
concuren i a Grupului interministerial de lucru pe probleme de ajutor de stat, ct i n
cadrul manifestrilor desfurate n baza protocoalelor de colaborare ncheiate cu autoriti de
reglementare, organizaii i asociaii nonguvernamentale.

Grupul Interministerial de lucru pe probleme de concuren

n anul 2005, au avut loc 10 ntruniri n care au fost abordate probleme care au vizat n
principal:
conceptul AIR - persoanele mandatate de ministere, n special de cele cu competen de
reglementare a sectoarelor economiei naionale, urmnd a fi pregtite n scopul aplicrii
tehnicilor de tip AIR;
necesitatea consultrilor ex-ante, pentru a prentmpina adoptarea de ctre instituiile
iniiatoare de proiecte legislative a unor reglementri, care cuprind prevederi
anticoncureniale;
modificarea legislaiei n domeniul achiziiilor publice, astfel nct s nu conin prevederi
care s conduc la distorsionarea concurenei pe pia;
activitatea asociaiilor profesionale - au fost identificate unele influene negative care ar fi
putut constitui un cadru organizatoric favorizant nelegerilor anticoncureniale, n special
posibilitatea stabilirii de preuri identice practicate de agenii economici, membri ai
acestor organizaii;
cooperarea sub diverse forme, dintre autoritile publice i mediul de afaceri, definit prin
termenul de parteneriat public privat i amploarea acestui tip de parteneriat la nivel
european.

Grupul interministerial de lucru pe probleme de ajutor de stat

S-au desfurat 12 ntlniri ale Grupului, n cadrul crora s-au dezbtut aspecte privind:
analiza notificrilor de ajutor de stat i regulile de autorizare a acestuia, pe diferite
obiective;
clarificarea modului de punere n practic a unor regulamente adoptate de ctre Consiliul
Concurenei;
problemele ntmpinate de furnizorii de ajutor de stat la ntocmirea formularului de
notificare, n conformitate cu prevederile Regulamentului privind forma, coninutul i alte
detalii ale notificrii unui ajutor de stat, cu accent pe ajutorul de stat pentru restructurarea
societilor n dificultate;
analiza ajutoarelor de stat cu caracter social i cele acordate pentru nlturarea efectelor
cauzate de dezastre naturale i evenimente excepionale;
necesitatea compatibilizrii unor ajutoare de stat existente;
analiza compatibilitii facilitilor acordate institutelor de cercetare i a actelor normative
emise n al doilea semestru al anului 2004, susceptibile de a conine msuri de ajutor de
stat;
acordarea de consultan tehnic de specialitate iniiatorilor i furnizorilor de ajutor de
stat n vederea elaborrii unei strategii pe termen lung privind acordarea de ajutoare de
stat.

Grupul de lucru a reunit experi din cadrul ministerelor furnizoare i/sau iniiatoare de
ajutoare de stat, precum i experi i consilieri de pre-aderare germani, din cadrul Proiectului de
Twinning, Componenta Ajutor de Stat.

22
1.4.1. Ex-ante consultation system

Within the ex-ante consultation system, the Competition Council has intensified its dialogue with
public authorities within the Inter-ministerial Working Group on competition, and the Inter-
ministerial Working Group on State aid, as well as within events developed on the basis of the
cooperation protocols closed with regulatory authorities, organizations and non-governmental
associations.

Inter-ministerial group on competition issues

In 2005, 10 meetings were held debating issues mainly referring to:

RIA concept - persons mandated by the ministries, mainly with competences in the field of
regulating national economic sectors, to be trained in view of implementing RIA
techniques;
Necessity of ex-ante consultations, in order to prevent the adoption, by the institutions
initiating legislative projects, of certain regulations comprising anticompetitive provisions;
Modifying legislation in the field of public procurement, so that it does not include
provisions leading to the distortion of the competition on the market;
Professional associations' activity - certain negative influences that could stand for an
organizational framework in favor of the anticompetitive agreements, mainly the possibility
of establishing similar prices enforced by the members of these organizations were
identified;
Cooperation under various ways, between the public authorities and the business
environment, defined by the public - private partnership term and its development at
European level.

Inter-ministerial group on State aid issues

12 meetings were held within the Group, debating issues mainly referring to:
Assessment of the State aid notifications and authorization rules, on different objectives;
Clarifying the way of implementation of certain regulations adopted by the Competition
Council;
Problems of the State aid grantors when drafting the notification form, according to the
provisions of the Regulation on the form, content and other details of the State aid
notification form, emphasizing State aid for restructuring firms in difficulty;
Analysis of the State aids with social character or those granted for eliminating the effects
caused by natural disasters and exceptional occurrences;
Necessity of making compatible certain existent State aids;
Assessment of the compatibility of the facilities granted to research institutes and of
normative acts issued in the second semester of 2004, suspected to contain State aid
measures;
Granting specialized technical assistance to the initiators and grantors of State aid in view
of drafting a long term strategy on the granting of State aid.

The working group was formed by experts within the grantors and/or initiators of State aid, as
well as experts and German pre-accession advisers, within the Twinning Project, State aid
Component.

23
 Protocoale de colaborare

n cadrul celor 15 protocoale ncheiate cu autoriti centrale, agenii guvernamentale,

asociaii profesionale, pn la 31 decembrie 2005 au avut loc peste 100 de aciuni care au
asigurat schimbul reciproc de informaii pentru interpretarea i aplicarea corect a regulilor de
concuren.
n anul 2005 s-au ncheiat 4 noi protocoale de colaborare, cu: Autoritatea de
Reglementare pentru Serviciile Publice de Gospodrire Comunal, Ministerul Administraiei i
Internelor, Oficiul Naional al Registrului Comerului, Uniunea Naional a Transportatorilor Rutieri
din Romnia.

1.4.2. Emiterea de avize i formularea

de puncte de vedere asupra actelor normative

n cursul anului 2005, n conformitate cu puterile conferite de lege,

Consiliul Concurenei a analizat compatibilitatea cu legislaia concurenei a unui numr de 103
acte normative, comparativ cu 43 n 2004 i 30 n 2003.

Astfel, au fost formulate 53 avize, din care 19 pentru concuren i 34 pentru ajutor de
stat i au fost comunicate 34 puncte de vedere, din care 12 pentru concuren i 22 pentru
ajutor de stat.

Pentru actele normative la care au fost identificate o serie de prevederi cu efect

anticoncurenial, Consiliul Concurenei a intervenit n 16 cazuri (fa de 5 intervenii n anul
2004) cu propuneri argumentate pentru eliminarea acelor prevederi.

Fig.1 - Acte normative examinate

Numrul mare de avize i puncte de vedere emise n anul 2005 n comparaie cu cele din
anii anteriori demonstreaz asumarea de ctre Consiliul Concurenei a rolului su proactiv n
relaia cu autoritile publice cu privire la respectarea regulilor de concuren i ajutor de stat.
Astfel, prin intermediul dialogului permanent purtat, acestea au contientizat ntr-o mai mare
msur importana asigurrii prevalenei legislaiei specifice meninerii i dezvoltrii unui mediu
concurenial normal.

Creterea semnificativ a interveniilor Consiliului Concurenei, pe linia armonizrii

prevederilor unor acte normative n vigoare cu regulile concurenei, denot preocuparea i
implicarea direct a autoritii de concuren n consolidarea economiei de pia funcional n
Romnia.

24
Cooperation protocols

Within the 15 protocols signed with central authorities, governmental agencies, professional
associations, by 31 December 2005, over 100 activities took place, ensuring the mutual
exchange of information for the interpretation and correct implementation of competition rules.

In 2005, 4 new cooperation protocols were signed, with: National Regulatory Authority for the
Management of Public Local Services, Ministry of Administration and Interior, National Office of
the Trade Register, National Union of Road Transporters in Romania.

1.4.2. Issuing binding opinions and drafting

points of view on normative acts

During 2005, according to the prerogatives established by the law, the Competition Council
analyzed the compatibility with the competition rules of 103 normative acts, compared with 43
in 2004 and 30 in 2003.

Thus, 53 binding opinions were drafted, out of which 19 on competition and 34 on State aid and
34 points of view were communicated, out of which 12 on competition and 22 on State aid.

For normative acts containing certain anticompetitive provisions, the Competition Council
intervened in 16 cases (compared to 5 interventions in 2004), with reasoned opinions for the
elimination of those provisions.

Graph no .1 - Assessed normative acts

The high number of binding opinions and points of view issued in 2005 in comparison with previous
years demonstrates the pro-active role that Competition Council assumed in relation to the public
authorities with respect to the observance of the competition and State aid rules. Thus, by means
of the permanent dialogue, these acknowledged in a higher degree the importance of prevalence
of the specific legislation, aiming at maintaining and developing of a normal competition
environment.

The significant increase in the number of the Competition Council's interventions, on the line of the
harmonization of the provisions of certain normative acts in force with the competition rules,
reveals the interest and direct involvement of the competition authority in the consolidation of the
functional market economy in Romania.

25
 n acest context, sunt de reinut
interveniile Consiliului Concurenei pentru
modificarea:
OUG nr.60/2001 privind achiziiile
publice - ca urmare a implicrii
Consiliului Concurenei, a fost
demarat procesul de elaborare a unui
nou proiect de lege privind achiziiile
publice;
OUG nr.34/2005 cu privire la
desemnarea Ageniei Naionale
pentru Locuine de a realiza lucrri
de construire sau reabilitare a
locuinelor din zonele calamitate.
Consiliul Concurenei a impus o
metod competitiv de alegere a
societilor care s efectueze aceste lucrri;
Proiectului Legii farmaciei care instituia bariere administrative la intrarea pe piaa
distribuiei cu amnuntul de medicamente prin existena criteriilor demografic i
teritorial la nfiinarea de farmacii;
Proiectului OUG pentru completarea Legii nr.571/2003 privind Codul Fiscal, respectiv
a prevederilor care se refer la Accize i Msuri speciale privind supravegherea
produciei, importului i circulaiei unor produse accizabile n sensul interzicerii
stabilirii unor valori minime de referin pentru igarete, alcool, distilate i buturi
spirtoase;
Codului fiscal, n sensul eliminrii facilitii privind exceptarea de la plata impozitului pe
veniturile din salarii, acordat programatorilor;
Legii nr.38/2003 privind transportul n regim de taxi i de nchiriere, n vederea eliminrii
prevederilor referitoare la stabilirea administrativ a numrului de operatori de pe pia, a
limitelor tarifelor practicate, precum i a consultrii asociaiilor profesionale din domeniu
n legtur cu ultimul aspect;
OUG nr.69/1998 privind regimul de autorizare a activitilor din domeniul jocurilor de
noroc, n sensul eliminrii scutirilor acordate CN Loteria Romn de la plata unor taxe
pentru jocurile de noroc pentru care nu deine exclusivitate i care au fost deschise
concurenei;
Reglementrilor privind modul de organizare i exercitare a profesiilor libere (notari,
executori judectoreti, avocai, arhiteci, medici veterinari, specialiti n cadastru), n
sensul eliminrii acelor restricionri considerate nejustificate privind: stabilirea unor
limite minime/maxime de referin privind tarifele/onorariile practicate; stabilirea
numrului de practicieni de pe pia; publicitatea privind activitile specifice acestui
domeniu.

26
In this context, the main interventions in this respect are
presented hereinafter:
Modifying GEO no. 60/2001 on public procurement-
following the involvement of the Competition Council,
the process of drafting a new draft law on public
procurement was initiated;
Modifying GEO no. 34/2005 on the designation of the
National Housing Agency to carry out construction
or rehabilitation works of the houses in calamity areas.
The Competition Council imposed a competitive
method of selection of the undertaking to carry out
these works;
Amending the draft Law on pharmacies, which set up
administrative barriers on the entrance on the
retail distribution market of medicines, by means of
the demographic and territorial criteria for setting up
new pharmacies;
Modifying the draft GEO for the completion of Law
no. 571/2003 on the Fiscal Code, namely of the
provisions on Excise duties and Special measures
on supervising production, import and circulation
of certain excisable products, in the sense of
forbidding the introduction of a minimum reference
value for cigarettes, alcohol, distillates and alcoholic
beverages;
Elimination from the provisions of the Fiscal Code of the facility on the exemption from
payment of the tax on salary incomes, granted to IT programmers;
Modifying Law no. 38/2003 on Taxi Regime and the Hire Regime Transportation, in view
of eliminating the provisions on the administrative establishment of the number of
operators on the market, of tariff's limits, as well as consulting professional associations in
this field regarding the latter;
Modifying GEO no. 69/1998 on the authorization regime of activities in the field of
gambling, modified and completed, in the sense of eliminating the exemptions granted to
SC Loteria Romn from the payment of taxes for gambling for which it does not hold
exclusivity and that were opened to competition;
Modifying regulations on organizing and exercising liberal professions (notaries, judicial
executors, lawyers, architects, veterinaries, cadastre specialists), in the sense of
elimination of unjustified on: establishment of certain minimum and maximum reference
limits on the tariffs enforced; establishment of the number of practitioners on the market;
promotion of the activities specific in this field.

27
 Capitolul 2

IMPLEMENTAREA LEGISLAIEI
N DOMENIUL CONCURENEI
Pornind de la recomandrile Comisiei Europene cuprinse n Raportul de ar pe anul
2004, Consiliului Concurenei i-a revenit un rol activ cu privire la implementarea, la standarde
europene, a politicii antitrust n Romnia.
Pentru realizarea acestui deziderat, n anul 2005 Consiliul Concurenei i-a concentrat
eforturile asupra prevenirii celor mai serioase distorsiuni ale mediului concurenial printr-o mai
bun folosire a instrumentelor de investigare conferite de lege, cu accent pe investigaiile din
proprie iniiativ i inspecii inopinate i prin aplicarea unei politici de sancionare
descurajatoare.

2.1. Investigaii

Consecvent principiului eficientizrii activitii, Consiliul Concurenei i-a intensificat

activitatea de monitorizare a comportamentului agenilor economici pe piaa romneasc,
acordnd o atenie deosebit identificrii nelegerilor anticoncureniale i n special a celor
sub forma cartelurilor - considerate cele mai periculoase pentru concuren i duntoare
pentru consumatori.

n anul 2005 au fost declanate 16 investigaii, astfel:

10 investigaii din oficiu (prin autosesizare);
6 investigaii ca urmare a unor plngeri/sesizri i a unor cereri/notificri ale
agenilor economici.

n cadrul unor investigaii aflate n derulare, n anul 2005 au avut loc 4 inspecii inopinate
(fa de 1 inspecie inopinat n anul 2004) care s-au desfurat n 12 locaii, astfel:
la sediul SC Pronto Universal SRL Tg.Mure, ca urmare a investigaiei declanat pe
piaa produselor de ngrijire personal n cazul SC Colgate Palmolive Romnia SRL;
la sediul Asociaiei Naionale a Tehnicienilor Dentari, ca urmare a investigaiei privind
posibila nclcare a prevederilor art.5 prin fixarea i publicarea tarifelor de referin pentru
protetic dentar;
la sediul SC Wrigley Romnia SRL, ca urmare a investigaiei pe piaa gumei de mestecat
privind posibila nclcare a prevederilor art.6 prin abuzul de poziie dominant, precum i
verificarea ndeplinirii condiiilor pentru acordarea dispensei, la cererea agentului
economic;
la sediul Unilever South Central Europe SRL i la sediile distribuitorilor i concurenilor
si4, n cadrul investigaiei pe piaa produselor pentru curarea esturilor i piaa

4
Henkel Romnia SRL Bucureti; Procter & Gamble Marketing Romnia SRL Bucureti; Unilever - punct de lucru Bucureti; Interbrands Marketing and Distribution SRL
Bucureti; Total Distribution Group & Logistics SRL Bucureti; Legato SRL Galai; Aquila Part Prod Com SRL Ploieti; Asociaia Profesional Rucodem.

28
Chapter 2

LEGISLATION ENFORCEMENT
IN THE COMPETITION FIELD
Based on European Commission's recommendations included in the Monitoring Report in 2004,
the Competition Council was granted an active role with regard to the implementation, at
European standards, of antitrust policy in Romania.
In view of accomplishing this objective, in 2005 the Competition Council has focused its efforts on
the prevention of most serious distortions of competition environment by means of a better use of
the investigative tools provisioned by the law, emphasizing ex-officio investigations and
dawn-raids and by implementing a deterring sanctioning policy.

2.1. Investigations

Aiming at increasing its activity's efficiency, the Competition Council intensified the monitoring of
the undertakings' behavior, paying a special attention to anticompetitive agreements and
mainly cartels - considered as the most distorting agreements for the competition and
unfavorable to consumers.

During 2005, 16 investigations were opened, as follows:

10 ex-officio investigations (self-intimation);
6 investigations following complaints/intimations and requests/notifications of
economic operators.

Within ongoing investigations, during 2005, 4 dawn-raids took place (compared to 1 dawn raid
in 2004), carried out in 12 different locations, as follows:
At SC Pronto Universal SRL Tg. Mure headquarters, following the investigation
opened on the market of personal hygiene products in case of SC Colgate Palmolive
Romania SRL;
At the National Association of Dental Technicians headquarters, following the
investigation on possible infringement of the provisions of article 5 by means of fixing and
publishing reference tariffs for dental prosthetics;
At SC Wrigley Romania SRL headquarters, following the investigation on the chewing
gum market on possible infringement of the provisions of article 6 on abuse of dominant
position, as well as assessing the fulfillment of the conditions to grant the exemption, at
the request of the economic operator;
At the Unilever South Central Europe SRL headquarters and those of the distributors
and competitors4, within the investigation opened on the market of cleaning products for

4
Henkel Romania SRL Bucharest; Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL Bucharest; Unilever Bucharest work point; Interbrands Marketing and Distribution
SRL Bucharest; Total Distribution Group & Logistics SRL Bucharest; Legato SRL Galai; Aquila Part Prod Com SRL Ploieti; Rucodem Professional Association.

29
 produselor alimentare, cu privire la cererea pentru acordarea dispensei privind
contractele ncheiate.

Ca urmare a unor elemente noi aprute pe parcursul derulrii unor investigaii declanate
n anul 2004, au fost extinse cercetrile n cazul urmtoarelor investigaii:

cazul Colgate, iniial, investigaia a fost declanat, ca urmare a unei plngeri - pentru
posibila nclcare a prevederilor legii de ctre Colgate prin abuzul de poziie dominant (art.6) i a
cererii pentru dispens cu privire la contractele de distribuie exclusiv ncheiate ntre Colgate i
5 distribuitori - pentru verificarea ndeplinirii condiiilor prevzute de art.5 alin.(2); s-a dispus
extinderea obiectului cercetrii i asupra posibilelor nclcri ale prevederilor art.5 alin.(1) prin
nelegerile intervenite ntre societi existnd suspiciunea unor manifestri anticoncureniale n
relaia dintre Colgate i distribuitorii si;

Investigaie n vederea analizei unei posibile nclcri a prevederilor legii (art.12 din legea
republicat) - prin consolidarea unei poziii dominante, de ctre Grupul Bega ca urmare a
dobndirii controlului asupra SC Sticloval SA Vlenii de Munte; iniial, investigaia declanat pe
piaa naional a nisipurilor cuaroase a avut ca obiect posibila nclcare a prevederilor art.6,
respectiv manifestarea abuziv a poziiei dominante, prin creterea nejustificat a preurilor
practicate de o societate ce aparine grupului (investigaie din oficiu);

Investigaie deschis ca urmare a unei plngeri pe piaa serviciului de branare a

consumatorilor i pe piaa serviciului de nchiriere a stlpilor liniilor electrice aeriene de joas
tensiune pentru instalarea reelelor de telecomunicaii, privind o eventual nclcare a
prevederilor legii de ctre societile DFEE Electrica Dobrogea SA i Romtelecom SA;
investigaia a fost extins i asupra pieei serviciilor de nchiriere a infrastructurii asociate,
respectiv stlpi pentru susinerea reelelor electrice i de comunicaii.

La nceputul anului 2005, se aflau n derulare 26 de investigaii, din care 21 din anul
2004. Numrul mare de investigaii preluate din anul 2004 se explic prin complexitatea
cazurilor care au necesitat cercetri de durat pentru luarea unor decizii argumentate temeinic
din punct de vedere juridic.

Fig. 2 - Investigaii derulate n 2005

Prin mobilizarea personalului de specialitate, pn la 31 decembrie 2005, din cele 42 de

investigaii aflate n desfurare au fost finalizate 16, ceea ce reprezint peste 38% din
numrul investigaiilor aflate n derulare n cursul anului.

30
 textiles and food products market, with regard to the request to grant the exemption for
closed contracts.

Since during investigations initiated in 2004 new elements appeared, these investigations were
expanded as follows:

In Colgate case the investigation was initially opened following a complaint - for
possible infringement of the law by Colgate, through abuse of dominant position (art 6) and of the
request for exemption with regard to exclusive distribution contracts signed by Colgate and 5
distributors - for assessment of the fulfillment of the conditions provisioned by article 5 (2). Since
the suspicion of certain anticompetitive acts, in the relation between Colgate and its competitors,
arose, the extension of the investigation also on possible infringement of the provisions of article 5
(1) by means of agreements between undertakings was decided.

Investigation in view of analyzing a possible infringement of the provisions of the law

(article 12 of the republished law) - by consolidating a dominant position, by Bega Group, following
the acquirement of control over SC Sticloval SA Vlenii de Munte; initially, the investigation opened
on the national market of quarts sands had as object the possible infringement of the
provisions of article 6, namely the abusive manifestation of the dominant position, by means of
unjustified increase in prices of an undertaking belonging to the group (ex-officio investigation).

Investigation opened following a complaint on the market of consumers connection and

renting services of the low tension electric lines' pillars for the installation of telecommunications
networks, on a potential infringement of the provisions of the low by DFEE Electrica Dobrogeana SA
and Romtelecom SA; the investigation was extended over the market of renting services of the
afferent infrastructure, namely pillars for the support of electrical and communications networks.

At the beginning of 2005, 26 investigations were ongoing, out of which 21 had been opened in
2004. The high number of investigations ongoing since 2004 is due to the complexity of cases,
requiring long term inquiries in order for judicial reasoned decisions to be taken.

Graph no. 2 Investigations in 2005

Through the effort made by the specialized staff, by December 31 2005, out of the 42 ongoing
investigations, 16 were finalized, representing almost 38% of the number of ongoing
investigations during the year.

31
 2.1.1. Investigaii din oficiu

Investigaii deschise

n baza atribuiilor ce i revin i a prerogativelor conferite de Legea concurenei, Consiliul

Concurenei s-a autosesizat i a deschis prin ordine ale preedintelui 10 investigaii din oficiu.

Fig.3 - Structura investigaiilor

Investigaiile din oficiu reprezint aproximativ 63% din totalul investigaiilor

declanate n anul 2005 (fa de 39% ct reprezentau n anul 2004) i sunt rezultatul
implicrii tot mai active a autoritii de concuren pentru consolidarea unui mediu
economic normal din punct de vedere concurenial (figura 3).

n anul 2005, pentru prima dat n activitatea sa, Consiliul Concurenei a declanat din
oficiu o investigaie pornind de la premisa consolidrii poziiei dominante a societii Azomure
pe piaa serviciilor de operare portuar a ngrmintelor chimice solide din Romnia.

Investigaii n domeniul sntii

Consiliul Concurenei a acordat o atenie deosebit acestui segment att ca urmare a aspectelor
semnalate n pres, dar i pe fondul crizei cu care s-a confruntat sistemul sanitar.

Au fost declanate 5 investigaii pe urmtoarele piee:

piaa insulinei;
piaa serviciilor de investigaie medical paraclinic;
piaa serviciilor pentru protetic dentar;
piaa produselor oncologice;
piaa produselor i serviciilor pentru dializ;

Investigaii finalizate

n cursul anului 2005, au fost finalizate 8 investigaii, din care o investigaie deschis n 2005
i 7 investigaii deschise n anii anteriori.

Investigaie din anul 2005 - Cazul Azomure

Investigaia s-a derulat pe piaa serviciilor de operare portuar a ngrmintelor chimice

solide din Romnia i a avut ca obiect posibila nclcare a prevederilor Legii concurenei ca urmare
a realizrii operaiunii de concentrare economic de ctre Azomure prin dobndirea controlului
asupra SC Chimpex SA Constana.

32
2.1.1. Ex-officio investigations

Opened investigations

Based on its attributions and prerogatives conferred by the Competition Law, the Competition
Council opened, through orders of the President, 10 ex-officio investigations.

Graph no. 3 Structure of investigations

The ex-officio investigations represent approximately 63% of the total investigations opened
in 2005 (compared to 39% in 2004) and are the result of the pro-active involvement of the
competition authority in consolidating a normal competitive environment from the
competition point of view (graph no. 3).

In 2005, for the first time in its activity, Romanian Competition Council opened an ex-officio
investigation, starting from the possible consolidation of Azomure' dominant position on the
Romanian market of harbour services for solid chemical fertilizers.

Investigations in the healthcare field

Competition Council gave a special attention to this field following both the aspects pointed out by
the media and the crisis the healthcare system was confronted with.

5 investigations were opened on the following markets:

Insulin;
Services of para-clinical medical investigation;
Prosthetic dental Services;
Oncology products;
Products and services for dialysis.

Finalized investigations

During 2005, 8 investigations were finalized, out of which 1 opened in 2005 and
7 investigations opened in the previous years.

Investigation opened in 2005 Azomure case

The investigation started from the possible consolidation of Azomure' dominant position on the
Romanian market of harbour services for solid chemical fertilizers, as a result of Azomure
acquiring control over SC Chimpex SA Constana.

33
 De menionat c, SC Azomure SA nu a notificat Consiliului Concurenei operaiunea de
concentrare economic realizat. Pentru svrirea contraveniei, sub forma omisiunii
notificrii, societatea a fost sancionat cu amend n valoare de 5,3 milioane RON (Decizia
nr.30/21.02.2005), aceasta fiind cea mai mare amend aplicat unui agent economic pentru
nclcarea legii prin omisiunea notificarii.

La momentul declanrii investigaiei, Azomure deinea, alturi

de ali acionari, controlul n comun i asupra SC Transocep Terminal SA,
societate care deine instalaii specifice transportului ngrmintelor
chimice. n aceast situaie, dobndirea controlului de ctre Azomure i
asupra SC Chimpex era de natur a produce efecte anticoncureniale pe
piaa menionat mai sus.

Angajamentul luat de Azomure de a nstrina participaia deinut

la societatea Transocep a condus la nchiderea investigaiei i
autorizarea concentrrii economice fiind, astfel, eliminat ngrijorarea
Consiliului Concurenei cu privire la compatibilitatea operaiunii cu un
mediu concurenial normal (Decizia nr.113/14.06.2005).
Ulterior, Azomure a ntiinat Consiliul Concurenei cu privire la
ndeplinirea angajamentelor asumate n conformitate cu termenul
prevzut n decizia adoptat de autoritatea de concuren

Investigaii din anii anteriori

Din cele 7 investigaii finalizate, pentru 3 cazuri au fost luate i

msuri de sancionare cu amend contravenional pentru nclcarea
prevederilor Legii concurenei, iar pentru 4 cazuri - deoarece investigaiile nu au condus la
descoperirea unor elemente cu valoare de prob care s demonstreze nclcarea prevederilor
legii, s-a dispus nchiderea acestora.

De menionat c, n cazul investigaiei care s-a derulat pe piaa serviciilor de transport

n regim de taximetrie pe teritoriul municipiului Bucureti, Consiliul Concurenei a intervenit
ns pentru modificarea Legii nr.38/2003 privind transportul n regim de taxi i n regim
de nchiriere, n sensul eliminrii, printre altele, a acelor prevederi susceptibile de a conduce la
nelegeri ntre operatorii de taxi cu privire la tarifele practicate pe aceast pia.

Investigaiile, n care prile implicate au fost gsite vinovate i au fost sancionate

pentru nclcarea prevederilor Legii concurenei, sunt prezentate n continuare.

Piaa serviciilor publice portuare

Investigaia a avut ca obiect posibila nclcare a prevederilor art.5 alin.(1) lit.a) de ctre
Asociaia Armatorilor i Operatorilor Portuari-Fluviali din Romnia prin negocierea, n numele
membrilor asociaiei, cu CN Administraia Porturilor Maritime SA Constana, CN Administraia
Porturilor Dunrii Maritime SA Galai, CN Administraia Porturilor Dunrii Fluviale SA Giurgiu i
CN Administraia Canalelor Navigabile SA Constana a clauzelor contractuale i a tarifelor pentru
serviciile prestate membrilor asociaiei.
Fapta investigat a reprezentat, pe de o parte, o nelegere pe orizontal avnd ca obiect
stabilirea n cadrul asociaiei, ntre membri care sunt concureni pe diferite piee, a condiiilor
comerciale i a nivelului tarifelor pentru serviciile prestate de companiile naionale i, pe de alt
parte, o nelegere pe vertical care const n negocierea condiiilor comerciale i a tarifelor de
ctre Asociaia Armatorilor i Operatorilor Portuari-Fluviali din Romnia cu administraiile

34
SC Azomure SA did not notify the economic concentration to the Competition Council and was
therefore sanctioned for failure to notify with a 5.3 million RON fine (Decision
no.30/21.02.2005), the highest fine ever applied to an undertaking for such an infringement.

At the moment the investigation started, Azomure and other shareholders had also held control
over SC Transocep Terminal SA, company that has specific installations for fertilizers
transportation. Under these circumstances, if Azomure gained control over SC Chimpex as well,
it might have generated anticompetitive effects on the market.

Azomure took upon itself a commitment to sell its participations in Transocep, so the Council
closed the investigation and authorised the economic concentration, since the doubts on the
operation's compatibility with a normal
competitive were eliminated. (Decision
no.113/14.06.2005).
Subsequently, Azomure informed the
Competition Council that its commitments were
respected within the deadline provided by the
competition authority's decision

Investigations from previous years

Out of the 7 investigations finalized, sanctioning

measures with comminatory fine were made
in 3 cases for infringing the provisions of the
Competition Law and 4 cases were closed
since the investigations did not lead to elements
recognized as evidences which to prove the
infringement of the law.

It is to be mentioned that, in the case of the investigation on the market of taxi services in
Bucharest, the Competition Council made an intervention to modify Law no 38/2003 on
taxi transportation and rentals, in order to eliminate the provision susceptible of leading to
tariff agreements between taxi operators.

The investigations in which the parties involved have been found guilty and sanctioned for
infringing the provisions of the Competition Law, are presented below.

Market of public harbor services

The object of the investigation was a possible infringement of art.5 (1) a) by the Association of
Ship-owners and River Harbours Operators. On behalf of its members, the Association negotiated
with CN Maritime Harbour Administration SA Constana, CN Maritime Danube Harbour
Administration SA Galai, CN Fluvial Danube Harbour Administration SA SA Giurgiu and
CN Navigable Rivers Administration SA, contractual clauses and tariffs for services rendered to
its members.
On one hand, the investigated action represented a horizontal agreement, setting within
association members, otherwise competitors on various markets, commercial conditions and
level of tariffs for services rendered by national companies. On the other hand, it represents as
well a vertical agreement, since the Association of Ship-owners and River Harbours Operators
negotiated on behalf of its members, commercial terms and tariffs with harbour and navigable
rivers administrations.

35
 portuare i de ci navigabile, n numele membrilor asociaiei. Din analiza materialului probator
administrat a rezultat c, prin demersurile fcute, prile implicate au nclcat prevederile art.5
alin.(1) lit.a) din Legea concurenei, mpotriva acestora lundu-se msura sancionrii cu
amend contravenional n valoare total de peste 11 milioane RON (Decizia de
sancionare nr.95/26.05.2005).

Piaa serviciilor de intermediere a tranzaciilor imobiliare

Investigaia a avut ca obiect eventuala nclcare a prevederilor art.5 alin.(1) lit.a) de ctre
filialele Uniunii Naionale a Ageniilor Imobiliare, prin luarea unei decizii privind consolidarea unui
comision de referin i a unui comision minim care s fie practicate de ctre ageniile imobiliare
membre ale uniunii.

Decizia Consiliului Central al Uniunii Naionale a Ageniilor Imobiliare, de fixare a unor tarife
(comisioane), cade sub incidena interdiciei prevzute de art.5 alin.(1) lit.a) din lege i reprezint
o nelegere pe orizontal a unei asociaii de ageni economici, respectiv ntre filialele din Bacu,
Braov, Bucureti, Cluj, Constana, Galai i Maramure.

nelegerile orizontale, coninnd prevederi de fixare a preului, se ncadreaz n

categoria faptelor de gravitate foarte mare.
Plenul Consiliului Concurenei a decis c filialele Uniunii Naionale a Ageniilor Imobiliare au
nclcat prevederile art.5 alin.(1) lit.a), lund msura sancionrii cu amend
contravenional a acestora. Valoarea total a amenzilor aplicate a fost de cca. 7,6 mii RON
(Decizia nr.102/31.05.2005).
Piaa cimentului gri

Investigaia a avut n vedere posibila nclcare a dispoziiilor legii de ctre productorii de

ciment din Romnia, respectiv societile Lafarge Romcim, Holcim (Romnia) i Carpatcement
Holding.

Dovezile existente au artat c activitile celor trei societi au avut ca scop i ca efect,
restrngerea, mpiedicarea i denaturarea concurenei pe piaa romneasc a cimentului, prin
participarea la un cartel de fixare a preurilor.
Prile implicate s-au fcut vinovate de nclcarea prevederilor art.5 alin.(1) lit.a),
fapt pentru care Consiliul Concurenei a dispus aplicarea de sanciuni, valoarea total a
amenzilor fiind de peste 98 milioane RON (Decizia nr.94/26.05.2005).

2.1.2. Investigaii declanate ca urmare a unor plngeri

Ca rezultat al politicii de promovare a regulilor de concuren numrul plngerilor adresate

Consiliului Concurenei care au condus la declanarea unor investigaii a sczut fa de anul
2004. Astfel, n anul 2005 au fost declanate doar 4 investigaii fa de 11 investigaii n anul
2004.

Aceste investigaii se aflau n curs de desfurare la 31 decembrie 2005, respectiv:

Pe piaa medicamentelor, privind eventuala nclcare a art.9 din Legea concurenei de
ctre Ministerul Sntii i unitile sanitare din subordinea acestuia;
Privind eventuala nclcare a prevederilor Legii concurenei de ctre Compania Naional
Pota Romn SA;
Privind posibila nclcare a art.6 de ctre societile comerciale care produc i distribuie
energie electric i ap cald, precum i posibila nclcare a art.9 de ctre Consiliile
Locale oreneti i municipale;

36
From the evidence analysis resulted that the incumbents infringed the provisions of art. 5 (1)
a) of the Competition Law, and they were therefore sanctioned with contravention fine
amounting of RON 11 million (Sanctioning decision no.95/26.05.2005).

Services for real estate transactions

The object of the investigation was a possible infringement of the provisions of art. 5 (1) a) by
branches of the National Union of Real Estate Agencies (NUREA), that took a decision to establish
a reference fee and a minimum fee that were to be used by its members.

This decision of the NUREA's Central Council (fixing tariffs and fees) falls under the interdiction of
the provisions of art.5 (1) a) of the Competition Law and represents a horizontal agreement
between undertakings members of an association, respectively between branches from Bacu,
Braov, Bucharest, Cluj, Constana, Galai and Maramure.

Such horizontal agreements with price setting provisions are very serious infringements
of the Competition Law.
The Competition Council's Plenum decided that the NUREA branches have infringed the
provisions of art.5 (1) a), and sanctioned the incumbents with approx. 7.6 thousand RON fine.
(Decision no.102/31.05.2005).

Market of grey cement

The investigation on the market of grey cement regarded a possible infringement of the
Competition Law by Romanian cement producers, namely Lafarge Romcim, Holcim (Romania)
and Carpatcement Holding.

The existing evidence showed that the actions of the three companies had as purpose and effect
to restrain, obstruct and distort the competition on the Romanian cement market, by
participating in a price fixing cartel.
The incumbents were found guilty of infringing the provisions of art. 5 (1) a), and were
therefore sanctioned by the Competition Council with a fine amounting more than RON 98
million (Decision no.94 /26.05.2005).

2.1.2. Investigations upon complaints

As a result of the competition advocacy, in 2005 the number of complaints received by the
Competition Council that led to investigations being opened has decreased in comparison with
2004. Thus, in 2005 only 4 investigations following complaints were opened compared to
11 investigations in 2004.
On December 31st, 2005, these investigations were ongoing, as follows:
On the drugs market, for a possible infringement of the art.9 of the Competition Law by the
Ministry of Health and subordinated medical units;
Regarding a possible infringement of the Competition Law by the National Company
Romanian Post SA;
Regarding a possible infringement of art. 6 of the Competition Law, by companies
producing and distributing electricity and hot water, as well as a possible infringement of
art. 9 by town and municipal Local Bodies;

37
 Privind posibila nclcare a prevederilor Legii concurenei de ctre Societatea Naional de
Gaze Naturale Romgaz SA Media.

Au fost finalizate 3 investigaii, deschise n cursul anului 2004, pe urmtoarele piee:

piaa serviciilor de handling (Decizia nr.80/2005); piaa serviciilor n domeniul gazelor
naturale (Decizia nr.92/2005); piaa serviciilor de verificare tehnic periodic i
autorizarea funcionrii centralelor termice (Decizia nr.110/2005).
n urma investigrii celor semnalate nu au fost descoperite dovezi privind nclcarea legii
care s justifice impunerea de msuri sau aplicarea de sanciuni de ctre Consiliul Concurenei.

2.1.3. Investigaii declanate ca urmare a unor cereri de dispens

n cursul anului, au fost adresate Consiliului Concurenei dou cereri formulate de

societile Unilever South Central Europe SRL Ploieti i SC Kandia-Excelent SA pentru
acordarea exceptrii individuale prin dispens cu privire la contractele de distribuie exclusiv
ncheiate cu partenerii comerciali. Conform procedurii, au fost declanate investigaii pentru
verificarea ndeplinirii condiiilor cumulative prevzute de lege. La 31 decembrie 2005 acestea
erau n curs de desfurare.

Au fost finalizate 3 investigaii deschise n anul 2004 privind:

Prevederile contractului cadru de nchiriere spaii comerciale ncheiat ntre SC Anchor
Grup SA i locatarii centrului comercial Plaza Romnia. n urma examinrii informaiilor s-a
constatat c anumite prevederi ale contractului intrau sub incidena legii. Anchor a luat
msura de a exclude aceste prevederi att din contractele deja ncheiate, ct i din
contractele viitoare, astfel c, n forma modificat, contractul analizat nu mai reprezenta o
nclcare a art.5 alin.(1) din lege;
Contractul de prestri servicii de merchandising ntre SC Philip Morris Romnia SRL, n
calitate de beneficiar i SC Rodipet SA, n calitate de prestator, pentru produsele din tutun
fabricate de Philip Morris;
Contractele de distribuie exclusiv ncheiate ntre SC Kraft Foods Romnia SA, n calitate
de furnizor i cei 20 de distribuitori exclusivi ai si pentru produsele Kraft.

2.1.4. Investigaii complexe

n cursul anului 2005, Consiliul Concurenei a investigat cazurile Colgate Palmolive

(Romnia) SRL (numit n continuare Colgate) i Wrigley Romnia - Produse Zaharoase SRL
(numit n continuare Wrigley) care au presupus o abordare nou n sensul conexrii obiectului
analizei.

38
 Regarding a possible infringement of the Competition Law by the National Company of
Natural Gas Romgaz SA Media.

3 investigations opened in 2004 were finalized. These investigations were on the following
markets: handling services (Decision no.80/2005); services in natural gas sector (Decision
no.92/2005); services of technical periodical inspection and authorization for thermal
heaters (Decision no.110/2005).
Upon investigating the indicated facts, no evidence of infringement was found that would justify
measures being taken or sanctions being imposed by the Competition Council.

2.1.3. Investigation upon requests for individual exemption

During 2005, the Competition Council received 2 requests for individual exemption from
Unilever South Central Europe SRL Ploieti and SC Kandia-Excelent SA, regarding exclusive
distribution contracts concluded with business partners. According to the procedure,
investigations were started in order to determine if the cumulative conditions provided by the law
are fulfilled. On December 31st, 2005, the investigations were still ongoing.

3 investigations, which begun in 2004, were finalized. These investigations refer to:
Provisions of the frame contract for rental of business spaces, concluded between SC
Anchor Grup SA and companies located in Plaza Romania Mall. Upon examining the
evidence, certain contract provisions were found to fall under the scope of the law.
Therefore, Anchor decided to exclude these provisions from already concluded contracts,
as well as from future contracts; thus, in its modified form, the frame contract no longer
infringed art. 5 (1) of the Law.
Merchandising contract concluded between SC Philip Morris Romania SRL, as
beneficiary, and SC Rodipet SA, as supplier, for tobacco products manufactured by Philip
Morris.
Exclusive distribution contracts concluded between SC Kraft Foods Romania SA, as
supplier, and its 20 exclusive distributors for Kraft products.

2.1.4. Complex investigations

During 2005, the Competition Council investigated the cases Colgate Palmolive (Romnia) SRL
(hereinafter Colgate) and Wrigley Romnia - Produse Zaharoase SRL (hereinafter Wrigley),
which implied a new investigation approach through connecting the objects of the analysis.

39
 Investigaiile au fost declanate n anul 2004 i au avut ca obiect att analiza unor
plngeri privind posibila nclcare a prevederilor legii, ct i examinarea cererilor de
exceptare individual prin dispens, astfel:

analiza plngerilor naintate Consiliului Concurenei privind abuzul de poziie dominant

pe piaa romneasc n cazul societilor Colgate i respectiv Wrigley;
verificarea ndeplinirii condiiilor legale stabilite de art.5 alin.(2), ca urmare a cererilor
depuse de ctre Colgate i Wrigley, pentru exceptare individual, prin acordarea
dispensei, pentru contractele de distribuie exclusiv ncheiate cu distribuitorii pentru
produsele specifice activitii celor dou societi;
verificarea existenei unor posibile nclcri a prevederilor art.5 alin.(1) din lege de ctre
cele dou societi prin ncheierea unor nelegeri cu partenerii contractuali.

Cazul Colgate Palmolive (Romnia) SRL

Piaa relevant pe care s-a derulat investigaia a fost piaa comercializrii produselor
chimice pentru ngrijirea casei, produselor pentru ngrijire oral i produselor pentru
ngrijire personal.
n urma investigaiei declanate, s-au constatat urmtoarele:
nclcarea prevederilor art.5 alin.(1) lit.a) din Legea concurenei, prin:
- fixarea indirect a preului minim de vnzare, n baza unor nelegeri pe vertical
ntre furnizorul Colgate Palmolive (Romnia) i distribuitorii si, printre care i
societatea reclamant Prestige Trading SRL;
- nelegerile pe orizontal ntre distribuitorii produselor Colgate, care reprezint
carteluri de fixare indirect a preului minim de vnzare, printre care i societatea
reclamant Prestige Trading SRL;
Nu au fost reinute fapte care s reprezinte nclcarea prevederilor art.6 din lege;
Contractele notificate pentru exceptare individual nu numai c nu au ndeplinit condiiile
de exceptare prevzute de dispoziiile art.5 alin.(2), dar chiar au favorizat nclcarea
prevederilor art.5 alin.(1), fapt ce a condus la refuzul de acordare a dispensei.

mpotriva societilor participante la aceast nelegere a fost luat msura sancionrii

cu amend contravenional, valoarea total a amenzilor aplicate nsumnd peste
15 milioane RON (Decizia nr.124/2005).

Cazul SC Wrigley Romnia - Produse Zaharoase SRL

Investigaia declanat s-a derulat pe piaa relevant a gumei de mestecat i a

produselor din zahr.
n urma investigaiei, Plenul Consiliului Concurenei a stabilit c au fost nclcate prevederile
art.5 alin.(1) lit.a) i lit.c) din lege de ctre Wrigley Romnia i distribuitorii si prin:
ncheierea unor nelegeri verticale avnd ca obiect fixarea concertat n mod direct i
indirect, prin discounturi, a preurilor de revnzare a produselor Wrigley, prin aceasta
restrngnd sau denaturnd concurena prin pre. Stabilirea de ctre furnizor a preului la
care cumprtorul revinde produsele reprezint o restricionare evident a concurenei
care este n mod expres interzis de art.5 (1) din lege;
mprirea pieelor de desfacere i alocarea clienilor.

Cererea de acordare a dispensei a fost refuzat constatndu-se c nu sunt ndeplinite

condiiile de exceptare prevzute de lege, contractele ncheiate favoriznd chiar, nclcarea
acesteia.

40
The investigations were opened in 2004 and regarded the analysis of certain complaints
concerning possible law infringement, as well as the assessment of requests of individual
exemption granted by dispense, as follows.

The analysis of complaints forwarded to the Competition Council regarding the abuse of
dominant position on the Romanian market in the case of the companies Colgate and
Wrigley;
The assessment whether the legal conditions established by art. 5 (2) are fulfilled, as a
result of the requests submitted by Colgate Palmolive and Wrigley, for individual
exemption, granted by dispense, for the exclusive distribution agreements concluded with
the distributors for the products specific to the activity of the two companies;
The assessment of potential infringement of the legal provisions of art. 5 (1) by the two
companies through the conclusion of agreements with contracting partners.

Colgate Palmolive (Romania) SRL Case

The relevant market where the investigation was conducted was the market for manufacturing
of chemical products for domestic care, products for oral care and self care products.
Following the investigation, the following facts were noted:
The infringement of legal provisions of art. 5 (1) let.a) of the Competition Law by:
- Indirectly fixing the minimum retail price, based on vertical agreements between
the supplier Colgate Palmolive (Romania) and its distributors, among which
Prestige Trading SRL, the complainant company;
- Horizontal agreements between the distributors of Colgate products, which
represent cartels of indirectly fixing the minimum retail price, among which
Prestige Trading SRL, the complainant company;
No facts indicated the infringement of the provisions of art .6 of the Law;
The notified contracts for individual exemption not only did not meet the conditions for
exemption stipulated in art. 5 (2), but they encouraged the infringement of art. 5 (1),
which led to the refuse to grant dispense.

Against the participating undertakings to this agreement it was decided the sanctioning with
contravention fine amounting of RON 15 million (Decision no. 124/2005).

SC Wrigley Romania - Produse Zaharoase SRL Case

The investigation regarded the relevant market of chewing gum and sugar-based products.
Following the investigation, the Plenum of the Competition Council decided that the provisions of
art. 5 (1) (a) and (c) of the Law were infringed by Wrigley Romania and its distributors by:
Concluding vertical agreements having as object the concerted fixing, directly or
indirectly through discounts of the selling or purchase prices of Wrigley's products, by this
restricting or distorting competition through the price. The fact that the supplier
establishes the price at which the buyer re-sells the products represents an evident
restriction of competition which is explicitly forbidden by art. 5 (1) of the Law;
Sharing the distribution markets and the allocation of the customers.

The request for dispense was refused by taking into consideration the fact that the exemption
conditions stipulated by the Law were not fulfilled, the contracts concluded encouraging in fact the
infringement.
Starting from the fact that these anti-competitive practices had as effect the exclusion of a real

41
 Pornind de la faptul c aceste practici anticoncureniale au avut ca efect excluderea unei
concurene reale intra marc pe piaa relevant, Consiliul Concurenei a decis sancionarea cu
amend contravenional a societilor comerciale participante la nelegere (Decizia
nr.224/2005). Valoarea total a amenzilor nsumeaz cca.20 milioane RON.
Totodat, n cadrul investigaiei a fost analizat i respins plngerea formulat de
SC Interbrands Marketing & Distribution SRL mpotriva Wrigley, motivat de faptul c nu s-a
constatat nclcarea art.6 din lege (Decizia nr.225/2005).

2.2. nsprirea politicii de sancionare

Pentru cazurile de nerespectare a prevederilor Legii concurenei, Consiliul Concurenei a

luat msuri drastice de sancionare cu amenzi contravenionale substaniale, astfel c n anul
2005 valoarea total a amenzilor a fost de 159,7 milioane RON (peste 44 milioane Euro).

Amenzile au fost aplicate pentru urmtoarele fapte:

nelegeri ntre agenii economici 144,1 milioane RON
Omisiunea notificrii operaiunilor de concentrare economic 10,3 milioane RON
Nendeplinirea condiiilor impuse prin decizie 5,3 milioane RON
Pentru prima dat n activitatea desfurat, Consiliul Concurenei a aplicat sanciunea
cu amend contravenional pentru nerespectarea condiiilor impuse printr-o decizie de
autorizare a concentrrii economice n cazul SC Holcim (Romnia) SA.
n structur, situaia amenzilor aplicate este prezentat n figura 4.

Fig.4 - Structura amenzilor aplicate

Sanciunile aplicate n cazul nelegerilor i n special a celor sub forma cartelurilor -

considerate nelegeri care se ncadreaz n categoria faptelor de gravitate foarte mare datorit
distorsiunilor semnificative asupra mediului concurenial - au reprezentat 91% din totalul
amenzilor aplicate, ceea ce denot o abordare corect i eficient a problemei cartelurilor de
ctre Consiliul Concurenei
Situaia amenzilor aplicate n perioada 2003-2005 este prezentat n Anexa nr.3 i este
redat n figura 5.

Fig.5 - Evoluia amenzilor aplicate n perioada 2003-2005

Comparativ cu anii anteriori, valoarea total a amenzilor aplicate n anul 2005 a fost de
peste 18 ori mai mare fa de anul 2004 i de aproape 60 de ori mai mare dect cea din anul

42
intra-brand competition on the relevant market, the Competition Council decided to sanction the
companies parties to the agreements with contravention fine (Decision no. 224/2005). The
total amount of the fines is of approx. RON 20 million.

At the same time, in the framework of the investigation the complaint submitted by SC Interbrands
Marketing & Distribution SRL against Wrigley was analyzed and rejected, since no infringement of
art. 6 of the Law was ascertained (Decision no. 225/2005).

2.2. More deterrent sanctioning policy

The Competition Council decided to apply more severe sanctions in cases of Law infringements,
so that in 2005 substantial contravention fines were applied for undertakings.

The total amount of fines was of RON 159.7 million (more than Euro 44 million).

The fines were applied for the following facts:

Agreements between undertakings RON 144.1 million
Failure to notify of the economic concentrations RON 10.3 million
Non-fulfillment of the conditions imposed by Decision RON 5.3 million
For the first time in its activity, the Competition Council applied a sanction with contravention fine
for the non-observance of the conditions imposed through the authorization decision for
economic concentration in SC Holcim (Romania) SA case.
In structure, the situation of the applied fines is presented in the graph 4.

Graph no. 4 Structure of applied fines

The fines applied in agreement cases and especially in cartel cases considered as very
serious facts due to the significant distortions over the competitive environment - represented
91% out of the total amount of fines, showing thus a correct and efficient approach of cartels
by the Competition Council.
The situation of the fines applied during 2003-2005 is presented in Annex 3 and illustrated in
graph 5.

Graph 5 Evolution of fines applied during 2003-2005

In comparison with previous years, the total value of the fines applied in 2005 was 18 times
higher than in 2004 and almost 60 times higher than in 2003, and for cartel cases, their

43
 2003, iar n cazul cartelurilor a crescut n anul 2005 fa de anul 2004 de 30 de ori, iar fa de
anul 2003, de peste 316 ori.

n anul 2005 au fost adoptate 25 decizii de sancionare de ctre Plenul Consiliului

Concurenei i de ctre Comisiile Consiliului Concurenei.

Plenul Consiliului Concurenei a emis 5 decizii de sancionare n cazul unor carteluri

care au avut ca obiect fixarea concertat a preurilor sau tarifelor, astfel:
- 3 decizii n urma investigaiilor din oficiu pentru cazurile de participare a unor ageni
economici la carteluri pe pieele cimentului, serviciilor portuare i serviciilor imobiliare;
- 2 decizii ca urmare a investigaiilor declanate la sesizrile formulate mpotriva
societilor Colgate i Wrigley.

Comisiile Consiliului Concurenei au adoptat un numr de 20 decizii pentru nclcarea

dispoziiilor Legii concurenei privind omisiunea notificrii unor concentrri economice i
nendeplinirii obligaiilor i condiiilor impuse prin decizie a autoritii de concuren, astfel:
- 19 decizii pentru omisiunea notificrii;
- 1 decizie pentru nendeplinirea obligaiilor i a condiiilor impuse prin Decizia nr.221/2000
de autorizare condiionat a concentrrii economice realizat prin achiziionarea de ctre
societatea Holcim (Romnia) a societii Alcim SA Aled.

Pentru omisiunea notificrii operaiunilor de concentrare economic, valoarea

amenzilor aplicate n anul 2005 a fost de aproape 38 de ori mai mare dect valoarea celor
aplicate n anul 2004 i de peste 46 ori mai mare fa de anul 2003 .

2.3. Activitatea decizional

Pentru a asigura aplicarea legislaiei la nivelul cerinelor europene i n scopul mbuntirii

practicii decizionale n domeniul antitrust a fost instituit un mecanism informal de consultare n
relaia cu Comisia European. n acest sens, Comisia analizeaz deciziile adoptate de Consiliul
Concurenei i ocazional ofer ndrumare cu privire la aplicarea regulilor antitrust.
n anul 2005, Consiliul Concurenei a adoptat 161 decizii, fa de 248 decizii n 2004
(Anexa nr. 4).
Scderea numrului de decizii se datoreaz urmtorilor factori:
- reducerea numrului de operaiuni de concentrare economic realizate n cadrul
procesului de privatizare;
- concentrarea eforturilor Consiliului Concurenei asupra celor mai grave cazuri de
distorsionare a concurenei - cartelurile;
- intensificarea aciunilor autoritii de concuren de popularizare a legislaiei specifice din
domeniul concurenei i a riscurilor la care se expun agenii economici n cazul nerespectrii
regulilor jocului.

Structura deciziilor emise n anul 2005, n funcie de ncadrarea acestora pe articolele din Legea
concurenei, este prezentat n figura 6.

Fig.6 - Structura deciziilor

44
value increased 30 times compared to 2004, and more than 316 times compared to 2003.

In 2005, 25 sanctioning decisions were adopted by the Plenum and Commissions of the
Competition Council.

The Plenum of the Competition Council issued 5 sanctioning decisions in the case of
cartels which has as object the concerted fixing of prices or tariffs, as follows:
- 3 decisions as a result of the ex-officio investigations for the cases of undertakings'
participation to cartels on the markets of cement, harbour services and real estate services;
- 2 decisions as a result of the investigations initiated following complaint against Colgate
and Wrigley.

The Commissions of the Competition Council adopted 20 decisions for the

infringement of Competition Law provisions regarding failure to notify economic concentrations
and non-observance of conditions and obligations imposed through the Competition Council's
decision, as follows:
- 19 decisions for failure to notify;
- 1 decision for non-observance of conditions and obligations imposed through Decision
no. 221/2000 to authorize with conditions the economic concentration achieved through
the acquisition by Holcim (Romania) of Alcim SA Alesd.

For the failure to notify economic concentrations, the amount of applied fines in 2005 was
approximately 38 times higher than in 2004 and more than 46 times than in 2003.

2.3. Decision-making activity

In order to ensure the enforcement of legislation at European standards and to improve the
decision-making practice in the antitrust field an informal consultation mechanism was set up
with the European Commission. In this respect, the Commission is assessing the decisions
adopted by the Competition Council and, occasionally, is giving recommendations regarding the
application of the antitrust rules.
In 2005, the Competition Council adopted 161 decisions, compared to 248 decisions in 2004
(Annex no. 4).
The decrease in the number of decisions is due to the following factors:
- Reduction of the number of economic concentrations realized in the privatization context;
- Focusing the Competition Council's efforts on the most serious cases of competition
distortions - cartels;
- Intensification of the Competition Council's activities regarding the promotion of the
competition legislation and of the risks the undertakings assume when not observing the rules of
the game.

The structure of the decisions issued in 2005, depending of their framing on articles of the
Competition Law is presented in graph 6.

Graph no. 6 Decision structure

45
 2.3.1. nelegeri ntre agenii economici - art.5

Deciziile au fost emise n soluionarea:

Autosesizrilor Consiliului Concurenei - 3 decizii;
Plngerilor formulate - 5 decizii;
Cererilor pentru certificarea neinterveniei - 4 decizii;
Cererilor pentru exceptare individual (dispens) - 2 decizii.

Deciziile privind autosesizrile 5

Consiliului Concurenei i soluionarea
cererilor pentru dispens6 au fost emise n
urma investigaiilor declanate i au fost
decizii prin care s-a stabilit vinovia agenilor
economici implicai i s-au aplicat sanciunile
cu amend contravenional.

Plngerile for mulate, privind

nelegeri ntre agenii economici - presupus
anticoncureniale, au fost soluionate prin
decizii negative deoarece aspectele
semnalate nu au prezentat temei de fapt i de
drept pentru a justifica intervenia Consiliului
Concurenei.

Cererile agenilor economici pentru certificarea neinterveniei Consiliului Concurenei au fost

analizate i soluionate favorabil, cu privire la urmtoarele acorduri:
Contractul de leasing operaional i contractul de service ncheiat de SC Atlas
Corporation SRL Bucureti cu diverse societi comerciale avnd ca obiect nchirierea
unor minilaboratoare foto marca Fuji (Decizia nr.63/2005);
Contractul cadru de nchiriere de spaii comerciale n Centrul comercial Plaza Romnia
(Decizia nr.88/2005);
Acordul Asociailor ntre GN ReSound A/S i o persoan fizic n legtur cu societatea
Audio Nova SRL, societate activ pe piaa dispozitivelor auditive pentru hipoacuzici
(Decizia nr.196/2005);
Contractul de prestri servicii ncheiat ntre SC Petrom SA Bucureti i
SC Petromservice SA Bucureti (Decizia nr.231/2005).

2.3.2. Abuzul de poziie dominant - art.6

Poziia important pe o pia a unui agent economic nu conduce la distorsionarea

acesteia. Poziia dominant nu contravine legii prin ea nsi, numai svrirea unui abuz de
poziie dominant pe piaa respectiv este un fapt ce intr sub incidena legii.

n anul 2005, ca urmare a demersurilor susinute de promovare a politicii concurenei,

agenii economici au neles care sunt practicile prohibite de lege, adaptndu-i, n consecin,
comportamentele de pia, astfel c, numrul deciziilor emise pentru soluionarea plngerilor
adresate Consiliului Concurenei s-a redus aproape la jumtate fa de anul 2004.

Au fost emise 5 decizii de respingere, din care 2 decizii n urma investigaiilor declanate
(Decizia nr.92/2005 - cazul Distrigaz Sud Ghermneti i Decizia nr.225/2005 - cazul Wrigley).

5
Deciziile emise pe piaa cimentului, piaa serviciilor portuare i piaa imobiliar.
6
Deciziile emise n cazul Colgate i Wrigley.

46
2.3.1. Agreements between undertakings - art.5

The decisions were issued for solving cases on:

own initiatives of the Competition Council - 3 decisions;
complaints - 5 decisions;
requests for certification of non-intervention - 4 decisions;
requests for individual exemption (dispense) - 2 decisions.

The decisions on own initiative5 of

the Competition Council and solving
the requests for dispense6 were
issued following the investigations
opened and proved that the involved
parties infringed the law and were
sanctioned with contravention fines.

The complaints regarding

agreements between undertakings
possibly anti-competitive, were solved
through negative decisions because
the aspects showed in the complaints
were not sufficient to justify the
Competition Council's intervention.

The requests of the undertakings for

certification of non-intervention of
the Competition Council were
analyzed and favorably solved, regarding the following agreements:
Operational leasing contract and the service contract concluded by SC Atlas Corporation
SRL Bucharest with various undertakings having as object the rental of Fuji photo
laboratories (Decision no. 63/2005);
Rental contract for commercial areas in Plaza Romania (Decision no. 88/2005);
Agreement of Associates between the GN ReSound A/S and a natural person regarding
the Audio Nova SRL, company that activates on the market of deaf-aid devices for deaf
persons (Decision no.196 /2005);
Contract for providing of services concluded between SC Petrom SA Bucharest and SC
Petromservice SA Bucharest (Decision no. 231/2005).

2.3.2. Abuse of dominant position art.6

Dominant position does not run counter to law by itself. The dominant position on a market that
belongs to an undertaking does not lead to its distortion, and only the abuse of dominant position
on that market falls under the law.

In 2005, following the steps made for the promotion of competition policy, the undertakings
understood which are the practices forbidden by Law and, as a consequence, adapted their
market behaviour, so that the number of decisions issued for solving the complaints addressed to
the Competition Council decreased to half compared to 2004.

5 rejection decisions were issued, out of which 2 decisions following the opened investigations
(Decision no. 92/2005 - case Distrigaz Sud Ghermneti and Decision no.225/2005 Wrigley
case).
5
Decisions issued on the markets of cement, harbour services and real estate services
6
Decisions issued in Colgate and Wrigley cases

47
 2.3.3. Concentrri economice

Pentru autorizarea operaiunilor de concentrare economic notificate au fost adoptate un numr

de 115 decizii.
n funcie de domeniul unde s-au realizat aceste operaiuni, structura deciziilor emise este
urmtoarea:
44 decizii n sectorul industrie-energie;
40 decizii n sectorul serviciilor;
31 decizii n sectorul bunuri de consum.

Reprezentarea grafic este redat n figura 7.

Fig.7 Structura deciziilor

Concentrrile economice care au avut loc pe parcursul anului 2005 au vizat toate sectoarele
economice.

n funcie de tipul deciziilor, acestea au fost:

20 decizii de neintervenie - pentru concentrrile economice notificate care nu au intrat
sub incidena Legii concurenei;
95 decizii de neobieciune n cazul unor concentrri economice, care dei au intrat sub
incidena legii, nu au prezentat ndoieli serioase privind compatibilitatea cu un mediu
concurenial normal.

2.3.4. Omisiunea notificrii

Consiliul Concurenei a emis 19 decizii pentru sancionarea agenilor economici care nu

au respectat prevederile legale cu privire la obligaia de a notifica operaiunile de concentrare
economic care intr sub incidena legii, comparativ cu 46 decizii emise n anul 2004.
Scderea numrului deciziilor a fost consecina mediatizrii permanente a regulilor de
concuren i al efectului descurajant al sanciunilor aplicate, altfel spus reflect n mai mare
msur rezultatul abordrii pro-active a Consiliului Concurenei.

2.3.5. Acte ale administraiei publice

Consiliul Concurenei a emis o decizie pentru soluionarea unei plngeri formulat de

SC Ion iriac Air SA prin care aceast societate a sesizat faptul c o parte din activitatea sa a fost
afectat n urma aplicrii Ordinului nr.1449/2001 al Ministrului lucrrilor publice, transporturilor
i locuinei.
n cadrul investigaiei, avnd ca obiect posibila nclcare a art. 9 din Legea concurenei, nu
au fost descoperite dovezi privind afectarea concurenei (Decizia nr.80/2005).

48
2.3.3. Economic concentrations

115 decisions were adopted for the authorization of the notified economic concentration.

Depending on the field where these operations took place, the decision structure is the
following:
44 decisions in the industry-energy sector;
40 decisions in the services sector;
31 decisions in the consumer goods sector.

The graphic representation is illustrated in the graph 7.

Graph 7 Decision structure

The economic concentrations that took place in 2005 regarded all the economic sectors.

Depending on the type, the decisions were:

20 negative clearance decisions for notified economic concentrations that did not fall
under the law incidence;
95 non-objection decisions - for some economic concentration that although fell under
the law incidence no serious doubts regarding the compatibility with a normal competitive
environment were raised.

2.3.4. Failure to notify

The Competition Council issued 19 decisions compared to 46 decisions in 2004 to sanction the
undertakings that did not observe the legal provisions regarding the obligation to notify the
economic concentration that fall under the Law.
The decrease of the number of decisions was a consequence of the dissemination in the mass-
media of the competition rules and the discouraging effect of the applied sanctions, showing thus
to a great extent the effect of the pro-active approach of the Competition Council. .

2.3.5. Acts of the public administration

The Competition Council issued a decision for solving a complaint drafted by SC Ion iriac Air SA
through which the company informed that part of its activity was affected by Order no.
1449/2001 of the Minster of transport, construction and tourism.
During the investigation having as object a possible violation of the provisions of art.9 of the
Competition Law, evidence regarding infringements on competition was not discovered. (Decision
no. 80/2005).

49
 Capitolul

3 IMPLEMENTAREA LEGISLAIEI N
DOMENIUL AJUTORULUI DE STAT

Raportul Comisiei Europene pe anul 2004 a subliniat necesitatea

controlului tuturor potenialelor msuri de ajutor, cu accent pe
identificarea lor i demararea de investigaii din oficiu asupra ajutoarelor
nenotificate. Consiliului Concurenei i-a revenit misiunea de a bloca
adoptarea sau implementarea acelor msuri de ajutor care nu au fost
evaluate i autorizate n prealabil.

3.1. Investigaii

n anul 2005, au fost declanate 21 investigaii. Pn la sfritul

anului au fost finalizate 8 investigaii: 7 investigaii iniiate n cursul
anului 2005 i o investigaie declanat n 2004.
Din cele 21 de investigaii deschise n anul 2005, un numr de 17
investigaii, ceea ce reprezint 81% din total, au fost declanate din
oficiu.
De subliniat este faptul c 14 investigaii din oficiu au fost
deschise ca urmare a aciunilor de monitorizare i control efectuate
de ctre inspectoratele teritoriale de concuren.
Evoluia numrului de investigaii declanate de ctre Consiliul
Concurenei n perioada 2003-2005 este prezentat n figura 8.

Fig. 8 - Evoluia investigaiilor

Pe parcursul perioadei analizate, numrul investigaiilor deschise

de ctre Consiliul Concurenei n domeniul ajutorului de stat a cunoscut un
trend ascendent. Astfel, comparativ cu anul 2004, n anul 2005 au fost
deschise de aproximativ 4 ori mai multe investigaii, iar fa de anul 2003
numrul investigaiilor iniiate a crescut de peste 10 ori.
n ceea ce privete deschiderea din proprie iniiativ a procedurilor
de investigaie n domeniul ajutorului de stat, practica Consiliului
Concurenei demonstreaz creterea implicrii autoritii de
concuren n vederea asigurrii unui mediu concurenial normal. Fa de
anul 2004, n anul 2005 s-au deschis de 17 ori mai multe investigaii din
oficiu. n anul 2003, Consiliul Concurenei nu a deschis nicio investigaie
din aceast categorie.

50
 Chapter

LEGISLATION ENFORCEMENT IN THE

STATE AID FIELD 3
The 2004 European Commission Report underlined the need to control
all potential State Aid measures, focusing on the identification and
opening ex- officio investigations concerning non-notified State aids. The
Competition Council had the mission to impede the adoption or the
implementation of those State aid measures that have not been,
previously, assessed and authorized.

3.1. Investigations

In 2005, 21 investigations were opened. 8 investigations were

finalized until the end of the year: 7 investigations initiated in 2005, and
one investigation started in 2004.

Out of the 21 investigations opened in 2005, 17 representing 81% of

the total were ex officio investigations.
It has to be underlined that, as a result of the monitoring and
controlling actions, carried out by the territorial competition
inspectorates, 14 ex-officio investigations have been initiated.

The evolution of the number of investigations opened by the Competition

Council during 2003-2005 is presented in the graph no. 8.

Graph no. 8 Evolution of investigations

During the analyzed period, the number of investigations opened by the

Competition Council in the State aid field registered an up warding trend.
Thus, approximately 4 times more investigations have been started in
2005, compared to 2004, and it was an increase of over 10 times of the
started investigations number, in 2005, in comparison with 2003.

As concerns the ex-officio investigations in the State aid field, the

Competition Council's practice proves the increase of the competition
authority involvement, with a view to ensure a normal competitive
environment. Compared to 2004, in 2005 17 times more ex-officio
investigations have been opened. In 2003, the Competition Council had
no ex-officio investigation.

51
 3.1.1. Investigaii finalizate

Investigaiile finalizate se refer la urmtoarele situaii:

ajutoare de stat ilegale pentru care s-a cerut recuperarea - 4 cazuri;

ajutoare autorizate condiionat - 2 cazuri;
ajutoare pentru care s-a interzis acordarea - 1 caz.

n cazul unei alte investigaii, autoritatea de concuren a stabilit c agentul economic nu

a beneficiat de ajutoarele de stat constnd n scutirea la plat a majorrilor/dobnzilor i a
penalitilor de ntrziere, deoarece nu a respectat termenele de plat i condiiile prevzute n
conveniile ncheiate cu furnizorii. n aceast situaie, investigaia declanat a rmas fr obiect
i de aceea s-a dispus nchiderea sa.

Ajutoare de stat ilegale pentru care s-a cerut recuperarea

n sensul Legii nr.143/1999, republicat, ajutorul de stat ilegal este un ajutor de stat,
altul dect unul existent sau exceptat de la obligaia notificrii, acordat fr a fi fost autorizat de
Consiliul Concurenei sau acordat dup ce a fost notificat, dar nainte de emiterea unei decizii n
termenul legal. Un ajutor de stat ilegal este supus procedurilor de rambursare/recuperare.
Anul 2005 marcheaz o schimbare fundamental a atitudinii Consiliul Concurenei fa de
nerespectarea regulilor din domeniul ajutorului de stat. Astfel, autoritatea de concuren a
adoptat msuri intransigente, menite s asigure restaurarea unui mediu concurenial normal. Ca
urmare a investigaiilor iniiate, care au condus la descoperirea unor ajutoare de stat ilegale,
autoritatea de concuren a emis, pentru prima dat de la intrarea n vigoare a Legii
nr.143/1999 privind ajutorul de stat, decizii de recuperare a ajutoarelor de stat ilegale, dup
cum urmeaz:

- Cazul SC Aris Arad SA

Investigaia a fost declanat din oficiu n luna decembrie 2004. n cadrul acesteia a
rezultat c nu au fost respectate urmtoarele condiii prevzute n Regulamentul privind salvarea
i restructurarea firmelor aflate n dificultate:
- asigurarea viabilitii societii pe termen lung, ca urmare a implementrii planului de
restructurare;
- contribuia beneficiarului de minim 50% din costurile restructurrii;
- limitarea ajutorului la minimul necesar;
- aplicarea de msuri compensatorii n vederea atenurii efectelor distorsionante ale
ajutorului de stat asupra concurenei;
- respectarea principiului prima i ultima dat .

Prin Decizia nr.65/2005, s-a interzis acordarea ajutorului de stat pentru restructurarea
societii Aris n baza prevederilor Hotrrii Guvernului nr. 874/2000 privind transferul aciunilor
deinute de stat la SC Aris Arad SA, acesta fiind incompatibil cu un mediu concurenial normal.
Ajutoarele de stat acordate societii, anterior emiterii deciziei de ctre Consiliul
Concurenei, plus dobnzile aferente, vor fi recuperate de Autoritatea pentru
Valorificarea Activelor Statului, respectiv Ministerul Finanelor Publice, care vor lua toate
msurile n acest sens.

- Cazul SC TEROM SA Iai

Prin ordin al preedintelui Consiliului Concurenei, a fost deschis din oficiu investigaia
avnd ca obiect analiza compatibilitii msurilor de sprijin financiar acordate de ctre AVAS

52
3.1.1. Completed investigations

The completed investigations referred to:

unlawful State aids for which the recovery was requested - 4 cases;
conditionally authorized State aids - 2 cases;
State aids prohibited from granting - 1 case.

For one other investigation, the competition authority established that the concerned
undertaking did not benefit from State aids consisting in exemption from the supplementary
charges/interests and penalties resulted from delayed payment, because it did not observe the
payment deadlines and conditions stipulated by the agreements concluded with State aid
grantors. Thus, the investigation remained without subject, and, consequently, it was closed.

Illegal State aids for which the recovery was requested

According to the provisions of State Aid Law no. 143/1999, republished, the illegal State aid is a
State aid, other than an existing one or than a State aid exempted from the notifying obligation,
granted without being previously authorized by the Competition Council or granted after
notification, but before the issuing, within the legal deadline, of a decision by the Competition
Council. An illegal State aid falls under the reimbursing/recovery procedures.
The 2005 year marks a fundamental change in the attitude of the Competition Council with regard
to the non-observance of the State aid rules. Thus, the competition authority adopted intransigent
measures, having as purpose the restoration of a normal competitive environment. As a result of
the initiated investigations, which led to finding certain illegal State aids, the competition authority
issued, for the first time from the entering into force of the State Aid Law no. 143/1999,
decisions for the recovery of illegal State aids, as follows:

- SC Aris Arad SA Case

The investigation was an ex-officio investigation and was opened in December 2004. It resulted
that the following conditions, stipulated in the Regulation on rescue and restructuring the firms in
difficulty, have not been observed:
- ensuring long term viability of the firm, as a result of the restructuring plan
implementation;
- the beneficiary's contribution of minimum 50% from the restructuring costs;
- limiting State aid at the minimum necessary;
- applying compensatory measures in order to mitigate the State aid distorting effects
on competition;
- observing the principle first time, last time.

Through the Decision no. 65/2005, the restructuring State aid granted to SC Aris Arad SA,
under the provisions of GD no. 874/2000 regarding the transfer of shares owned by the State at
SC Aris Arad SA, was prohibited because it was considered as incompatible with a normal
competitive environment.
The State aids granted to the company, prior to the issuing by the Competition Council of
the decision, along with the corresponding interests, shall be recovered by the Authority
for State Assets Recovery (AVAS), respectively by the Ministry of Public Finance, that
shall take all measures in this respect.

- SC TEROM SA Iai Case

The investigation having as object the analysis of the compatibility of the financial support
measures granted by AVAS (the Authority for State Assets Recovery) to SC Terom SA Iasi has

53
 societii comerciale Terom SA Iai. n urma analizei s-a constat c nu au fost ndeplinite condiiile
referitoare la:
- dificultatea financiar a agentului economic;
- restaurarea viabilitii prin planul de restructurare propus;
- limitarea ajutorului la minimul necesar i luarea unor msuri compensatorii n vederea
minimizrii ct mai mult posibil a efectelor negative asupra concurenei.

Prin Decizia nr.67 din 8 aprilie, Consiliul Concurenei a interzis acordarea ajutorului de stat
i a solicitat furnizorului recuperarea ajutorului acordat anterior emiterii deciziei.

- Cazul SC Laminorul SA Brila

Investigaia avnd ca scop analiza caracterului de ajutor de stat i a compatibilitii msurii

de sprijin financiar instituit n baza Ordonanei de Urgen a Guvernului nr.108/2004 privind
unele msuri pentru relansarea economic a Societii Comerciale Laminorul SA Brila a fost
declanat n luna ianuarie 2005, prin ordin al preedintelui Consiliului Concurenei. SC Laminorul
SA Brila nu este inclus n lista societilor beneficiare de ajutor de stat pentru restructurare,
prevzut n Strategia de restructurare a industriei siderurgice, aprobat de Guvernul Romniei
prin H.G. nr. 55/13.01.2005, astfel c nu poate beneficia de ajutor pentru restructurare potrivit
Protocolului 2 privind produsele CECO.

n urma investigaiei, s-a constatat c ajutorul de stat este incompatibil cu mediul concurenial
normal, iar acordarea acestuia contravine prevederilor legale n materia ajutorului de stat,
precum i celor stipulate n Protocolul 2 privind produsele CECO, anexa la Acordul European
instituind o asociere ntre Romnia, pe de o parte i Comunitile Europene i statele membre ale
acestora, pe de alt parte.

Prin Decizia nr. 54 din 23 martie, ajutorul de stat a fost declarat ilegal, ntruct AVAS l-a acordat
fr a fi autorizat de ctre Consiliul Concurenei. Furnizorul va lua toate msurile pentru
recuperarea ajutorului de stat acordat SC Laminorul SA Brila.

- Zone defavorizate

n cadrul procedurii de monitorizare, n perioada martie - iunie 2005, Consiliul

Concurenei a ntreprins aciuni de control la un numr de 1.848 de ageni economici din 28 de
zone defavorizate, n urma crora s-au constatat depiri ale intensitii ajutoarelor de stat peste
limita maxim admis la un numr de 32 ageni economici. Ca urmare, s-a luat msura deschiderii
unei investigaii din oficiu, n urma creia a rezultat faptul c, dintre cei 32 de ageni economici, un
numr de 31 au depit intensitatea maxim admis, iar un agent economic nu a beneficiat de
ajutor de stat.
Prin Decizia nr.184 din 30 septembrie, Consiliul Concurenei a declarat ajutoarele de stat ca
ilegale i incompatibile cu un mediu concurenial normal i a solicitat recuperarea
acestora de ctre Ministerul Finanelor Publice, n calitate de furnizor.

La finalul anului 2005, rezultatele demersului Consiliului Concurenei privind recuperarea

ajutoarelor ilegale acordate n zonele defavorizate s-au concretizat n recuperarea de
ajutoare de stat ilegale n valoare de peste 800.000 RON, iar ca urmare a diligenelor depuse
de inspectorii de concuren n timpul aciunilor de control au fost rambursate voluntar ajutoare
ilegale n valoare de 1.000.000 RON. Pentru cazurile SC Aris Arad SA i SC TEROM SA Iai,
deciziile autoritii de concuren au fost supuse cenzurii judectoreti, fiind atacate n instan de
ctre beneficiarii ajutoarelor ilegale. n cazul SC Laminorul SA Brila, ntreprinderea se afla n
proces de privatizare.

54
been opened by an Order of the Competition Council's President. After the analysis, it was found
out that the conditions regarding the following issues have not been observed:
- the financial difficulty of the undertaking;
- restoring the viability by the proposed restructuring plan;
- limiting State aid at the minimum necessary, and taking compensatory measures in
order to minimize, as much possible, its negative effects on competition.

Through the Decision no. 67/08.04.2005, the Competition Council prohibited the granting
of the State aid and requested to the State aid grantor to recover the State aid granted
prior to the decision being issued.

- SC Laminorul SA Brila Case

The investigation aiming at analyzing the State aid character and the compatibility of the financial
support measure set up according to GEO no. 108/2004 concerning some measures for the
economic re-launching of SC Laminorul SA Brila was started in January 2005, by Order of the
President of the Competition Council. SC Laminorul SA Brila has not been included in the list of
the beneficiaries of restructuring State aid, foreseen within the Strategy for Steel Industry
Restructuring, approved by the Romanian Government through GD no. 55/13.01.2005, so it
could not benefit of restructuring State aid, according to the provisions of Protocol no.2 on ECSC
products.

Following the investigation, it was found out that the State aid is incompatible with the normal
competitive environment, and its granting is not in line with the legal provisions in the State aid field
and the provisions of Protocol no. 2 on ECSC products, as annex of the Europe Agreement
establishing an association between Romania, on the one hand, and the European Communities
and their Member States, on the other hand.

Through the Competition Council's Decision no. 54 / 23.03.2005, the State aid was declared
illegal, because AVAS granted it without previous authorization from the Competition Council. The
State aid grantor shall take all necessary measures for the recovery of State aid granted
to SC Laminorul SA Brila.

- Deprived Areas

Within the monitoring procedure, in the period March - June 2005, the Competition Council
carried out controlling actions at 1,848 undertakings from 28 deprived areas, finding out
exceeding of the maximum admissible State aid intensity at 32 undertakings. Consequently, an ex-
officio investigation was started and resulted that out of the 32 undertakings, 31 undertakings
exceeded the maximum admissible intensity, and one of them did not benefit from State aid.

Through the Decision no. 184 / 30.09.2005, the Competition Council declared the State
aids as unlawful and incompatible with a normal competitive environment, and requested
the recovery by the Ministry of Public Finance as State aids grantor.

At the end of 2005, the results of the Competition Council's steps towards recovering the illegal
State aids granted in the deprived areas were materialized in the recovery of illegal State
aids in value of more than RON 800,000, and as the result of the diligences of the competition
inspectors during control actions, illegal aids in value of RON 1,000,000 were voluntarily
reimbursed. For SC Aris Arad SA and SC TEROM SA Iai cases, the decisions of the competition
authority were subject to judicial censorship, being contested in court by the beneficiaries of the
illegal aids. In SC Laminorul SA Brila case, the undertaking was under privatization process.

55
 Ajutoare de stat autorizate condiionat

Conform art. 21 (2) (c) din Legea nr.143/1999 privind ajutorul de stat, republicat,
Consiliul Concurenei autorizeaz condiionat un ajutor de stat, impunnd prin decizia sa condiii
sau obligaii, menite s asigure c nu denatureaz semnificativ mediul concurenial normal i nu
afecteaz aplicarea corespunztoare a acordurilor internaionale la care Romnia este parte.

- Cazul SC UCM Reia

n luna martie 2005, Inspectoratul de

concuren Cara-Severin a efectuat un control la UCM
Reia, n urma cruia a constatat c aceast societate a
beneficiat, n baza prevederilor O.G nr.45/2004 pentru
finalizarea privatizrii unor societi din portofoliul
APAPS, aflate n dificultate i ale art.18 din Legea nr.
137/2002 privind unele msuri pentru accelerarea
privatizrii, de anumite msuri de sprijin susceptibile de a
conine elemente de ajutor de stat. ntruct AVAS nu a
rspuns solicitrii Consiliului Concurenei de a notifica
msurile de sprijin acordate UCM Reia, acesta a
declanat o investigaie din oficiu.

Ajutorul acordat la privatizarea UCM Reia, n vederea restructurrii, a fost autorizat

(Decizia nr.193 din 13 octombrie) cu urmtoarele condiii:
- implementarea n totalitate a planului de restructurare asumat;
- reducerea capacitilor de producie pn n anul 2010, conform programului de
restructurare;
- interzicerea comercializrii produselor siderurgice care se regsesc n Anexa nr.1 a
Regulamentului multisectorial privind ajutorul de stat regional pentru proiecte mari de
investiii, cu modificrile i completrile ulterioare.

- Cazul SC Grantmetal Bucureti

Ajutorul de stat a fost notificat, n mai 2005, de ctre AVAS i const n faciliti la plata unor
obligaii bugetare restante. Baza legal a acordrii ajutorului este O.U.G. nr.26/2004 privind
unele msuri pentru finalizarea privatizrii societilor comerciale aflate n portofoliul AVAS i
consolidarea unor privatizri, aprobat cu modificri i completri prin Legea nr.442/2004.

Investigaia, care a avut ca obiect verificarea compatibilitii msurii de ajutor cu un mediu

concurenial normal, a fost finalizat prin Decizia nr.192 din 12 octombrie de autorizare a
ajutorului de stat, n condiiile respectrii integrale a angajamentelor asumate de companie,
respectiv:
- acordarea ajutorului de stat numai dup ce beneficiarul va face dovada scoaterii din
funciune a utilajelor care concur la realizarea produselor siderurgice (activitate
generatoare de pierderi) i a trecerii lor n conservare; societatea va transmite
Consiliului Concurenei semestrial, pn la momentul dezafectrii totale a capacitilor
de producie siderurgice, documente justificative din care s reias situaia produciei
realizate de S.C. GRANTMETAL S.A. pe tipuri de produse;
- obligaia societii de a implementa n totalitate planul de restructurare asumat i de a
reduce capacitatea de producie pn n anul 2008, n conformitate cu programul de
restructurare asumat.

56
State aids authorized with conditions

According to art. 21 (2) (c) of the State Aid Law no. 143/1999, republished, the Competition
Council authorizes with conditions a State aid, imposing by its decision certain conditions or
obligations which ensure the fact that the State aid nature does not significantly distort the normal
competitive environment and does not affect the proper application of the international
agreements in which Romania is party.

- SC UCM Reia Case

In March 2005, the Cara Severin Competition Inspectorate carried

out a controlling action at SC UCM Resia, finding out that according
to the provisions of GO no. 45/2004 for completing the
privatization of certain firms in difficulty being under AVAS' portfolio,
and according to the provisions of art. 18 of Law no. 137/2002 on
certain measures for the acceleration of privatization, this
undertaking benefited from several support measures liable to
contain State Aid elements. Since AVAS has not answered to the
Competition Council request to notify the support measures granted
to SC UCM Reia, the Competition Council started an ex-officio
investigation.

The State aid granted at the privatization of SC UCM Reia for

restructuring has been authorized by Decision no. 193/13.10.2006, under the following
conditions:
- integrally implementing the assumed restructuring plan;
- reducing its production capacities, until 2010, in accordance with the restructuring
plan;
- trading prohibition for steel products included in Annex 1 of the Multisectoral Regulation
on Regional aid for large investment projects, with subsequent amendments and
completions.

- SC Grantmetal Bucharest Case

The State aid was notified by AVAS, in May 2005, and it consists of facilities to the payment of
certain budgetary overdue obligations. The legal basis of granting the State aid is GEO no.
26/2004 regarding certain measures for completing the privatization of undertakings from the
AVAS' portfolio and consolidating certain privatizations, approved with amendments and
completions through the Law no. 442/2004.

The investigation having as object to verify the compatibility of the State aid measure with a normal
competitive environment, was completed through the Decision no. 192 / 12.10.2005 for
authorizing the State aid, under the condition to fully observe the commitments assumed by the
company, respectively:
- the State aid shall be granted only after the beneficiary proves the putting out of
operation of the equipments that manufacture steel products (loss-generating activity)
and passing them into preservation; the company shall submit to the Competition
Council, every semester, until the moment of complete inactivation of the steel
manufacturing capacities, explanatory documents concerning the situation of the steel
production obtained by SC Grantmetal SA, by types of products;
- the company's obligation to fully implement the assumed restructuring plan and to
reduce its manufacturing capacity, until 2008, in accordance with the assumed
restructuring plan.

57
 Ajutoare de stat pentru care s-a interzis acordarea

Pentru msurile de sprijin constituind ajutoare de stat ce se intenioneaz a fi acordate i

care, n urma evalurii conform legislaiei specifice, sunt considerate incompatibile cu un mediu
concurenial normal, Consiliul Concurenei emite decizii prin care interzice acordarea acestora.

- Cazul SC Amitech Ductile SRL Clan

AVAS a notificat ajutorul de stat individual pentru dezvoltare regional ce inteniona s-l
acorde SC Amitech Ductile SRL Clan, n baza O.U.G. nr. 3/2004 privind finalizarea investiiei
Turntoria de tuburi de presiune din font ductil pe platforma Sidermet Clan. n baza ordinului
preedintelui Consiliului Concurenei, s-a deschis o investigaie, deoarece ajutorul de stat
prezenta ndoieli privind compatibilitatea cu legislaia n domeniul ajutorului de stat.
Produsele pe care SC Amitech Ductile SRL. Clan urma s le fabrice se ncadrau n grupa
produselor siderurgice, aa cum sunt definite n Anexa nr. 1 la Regulamentul multisectorial
privind ajutorul de stat regional pentru proiecte mari de investiii, cu modificrile i completrile
ulterioare, potrivit cruia orice ajutor de stat pentru investiii n acest sector este interzis.
Din acest motiv, prin Decizia nr. 137 din 25 iulie, Consiliul Concurenei a interzis acordarea
ajutorului de stat pentru societatea Amitech Ductile SRL Clan.

3.1.2. Investigaii n curs de desfurare

La sfritul anului, dintre cele 21 investigaii deschise n 2005, au rmas n curs de

desfurare un numr de 14 investigaii, din care pentru cinci s-a decis extinderea (cazurile:
Mittal Steel Galai, Aro Cmpulung, Roman Braov, ICMUC Giurgiu i Faur Bucureti).

3.2. Activitatea de monitorizare

Activitatea de monitorizare a ajutoarelor de stat a fost intensificat, astfel c numrul de

controale efectuate de ctre Consiliul Concurenei n teritoriu a nregistrat o cretere de 1,3 ori
fa de anul trecut (6.564 controale n 2005 fa de 4.880 n 2004). Situaia controalelor
efectuate este prezentat n Anexa nr. 5.

Fig. 9 - Aciuni de control

Numrul sporit de controale efectuate n anul 2005, comparativ cu anul 2004, a asigurat
desfurarea unor aciuni de monitorizare a ajutoarelor de stat acordate agenilor economici cu

58
State Aids prohibited to be granted

For the support measures consisting of State aid intended to be granted and which, after their
assessment according to specific legislation, is considered incompatible with a normal
competitive environment, the Competition Council issues decisions by which its granting is
forbidden.

- SC Amitech Ductile SRL Clan Case

AVAS notified the individual State aid for regional development intended to be granted to SC
Amitech Ductile SRL Clan, based on GEO no. 3/2004 regarding completing of the investment
Foundry for pressure pipes of ductile cast iron on the platform Sidermet Clan. An investigation
was started, by Order of the President of the Competition Council, because of the doubts
regarding the State aid compatibility with the legislation in the State aid field.
The products intended to be produced by SC Amitech Ductile SRL Clan were considered steel
products as defined in Annex no. 1 of the Multisectoral Regulation on regional State aid for large
investment projects, with subsequent amendments and completions, which stipulates that any
State aid for investment in this sector is prohibited.
This is why, through the Decision no. 137/25.07.2005, the Competition Council has prohibited
the granting of the above mentioned State aid to Amitech Ductile SRL Clan.

3.1.2. Ongoing investigations

Out of 21 investigations started in 2005, at the end of the year, 14 remained ongoing
investigations, and an extension has been decided for 5 cases (Mittal Steel Galai, ARO
Cmpulung, Roman Braov, ICMUC Giurgiu and Faur Bucharest).

3.2. Monitoring activity

The State aids monitoring activity was intensified, so that the number of controlling actions carried
out by the Competition Council, through its territorial inspectorates, registered an increase by
1.3 times in comparison with the previous year (6,564 controlling actions in 2005,
compared with 4,880 in 2004). The situation of the carried out controlling actions is presented in
Annex no. 5.

Graph no. 9 Controlling actions

The increased number of controlling actions carried out in 2005 in comparison with 2004
ensured the carrying on of several actions for monitoring the State aids granted to undertakings

59
 activitate n zone defavorizate, zone libere i parcuri industriale. n acest sens, Consiliul
Concurenei a utilizat procedurile elaborate n anul 2004 n scopul monitorizrii unitare a
ajutoarelor de stat regionale. Scopul ajutorului pentru dezvoltare regional este de a asigura
agenilor economici din zona avut n vedere aceleai anse de dezvoltare ca i celor din alte zone
ale rii, fr a determina creterea capacitii de producie n sectoarele n care exist deja
probleme legate de supracapacitate. Ajutorul de stat regional poate fi n legtur cu investiia
iniial sau cu crearea de locuri de munc.

Aciunile de control ntreprinse au permis, totodat, Consiliului Concurenei depistarea

msurilor de sprijin susceptibile a constitui ajutor de stat. n aceste cazuri, autoritatea de
concuren a declanat un numr de 14 investigaii din oficiu, ceea ce reprezint 67% din
numrul total al investigaiilor deschise n anul 2005 n domeniul ajutorului de stat.

3.2.1. Zone defavorizate

n anul 2005, Consiliul Concurenei a ntreprins dou aciuni de monitorizare a ajutoarelor

de stat regionale de care au beneficiat agenii economici din zonele defavorizate. Au fost avute n
vedere evaluarea cuantumului acestora, precum i determinarea impactului produs asupra
nivelului de dezvoltare al zonelor defavorizate.

n prima etap, desfurat n perioada martie-iunie, Consiliul Concurenei a verificat un

numr de 1.848 ageni economici i a constatat c valoarea total a investiilor realizate a fost de
aproximativ 2,271 mil. RON, sub forma achiziiilor de terenuri, construciilor de cldiri, hale
industriale, echipamente i utilaje, precum i maini necesare desfurrii activitii n zon.
Valoarea ajutorului de stat acordat n perioada 2003 - 2004 n vederea crerii investiiilor a fost
de aproximativ 187,6 mil. RON. Ajutoarele pentru crearea locurilor de munc s-au ridicat la
2,5 mil. RON i mpreun cu ajutoarele pentru investiii au avut ca efect crearea unui numr de
53.015 locuri de munc.
De asemenea, ca rezultat al monitorizrii i a investigaiei ulterioare derulat n acest
caz, au fost identificate 31 de societi comerciale care au depit intensitatea i pentru care
Consiliul Concurenei a emis Decizia nr.184/2005 n vederea recuperrii ajutoarelor ilegale (a
se vedea seciunea Investigaii).

n cea de-a doua etap, aciunea de monitorizare i control desfurat n perioada

septembrie-octombrie a vizat un numr de 1.679 de ageni economici. S-a constat c valoarea
total a ajutorului de stat de care au beneficiat operatorii economici verificai s-a ridicat la
aproximativ 324 mil. RON, iar valoarea investiiilor realizate a fost de peste 2.192 mil. RON.
Datorit ajutoarelor de stat acordate, au fost create 60.636 locuri de munc.

n ceea ce privete intensitatea ajutoarelor de stat acordate, Consiliul Concurenei a ajuns

la urmtoarele concluzii:

- 37 dintre beneficiari au atins limita maxim admis a intensitii ajutorului de stat.

Acetia fac parte din categoria ntreprinderilor mici i mijlocii i i desfoar activitatea n
judeele Alba, Bihor, Bistria-Nsud, Cara-Severin, Harghita, Hunedoara, Maramure,
Prahova, Slaj, Sibiu i Suceava. Consiliul Concurenei a considerat c, prin continuarea acordrii
de faciliti celor 37 de societi comerciale, ajutorul de stat acordat peste limita maxim admis
devine ajutor ilegal i incompatibil, nclcndu-se prevederile Legii privind ajutorul de stat, dar i ale
Tratatului de Aderare a Romniei la Uniunea European. Prin Decizia nr.227 din 20 decembrie s-a
dispus stoparea acordrii ajutoarelor regionale pentru cei 37 de ageni economici, Ministerul
Finanelor Publice, n calitate de furnizor al ajutorului de stat, avnd responsabilitatea de
a lua toate msurile necesare n vederea aplicrii deciziei Consiliului Concurenei;

60
that operate in deprived areas, free zones and industrial parks. To this extent, the Competition
Council used the procedures elaborated in 2004 in order to unitary monitor the regional State
aids. The purpose of the aid for regional development is to provide the undertakings that operate
in the respective area with the same development chances as the ones from the other areas of
the country, without determining increase of production capacity in sectors in which problems
related to overcapacity already exist. The regional aid can be related to the initial investment or job
creation.

The carried out controlling actions allowed, in the same time, for the Competition Council to find
the support measures liable to constitute State aid. In these cases, the competition authority
opened a number of 14 ex-officio investigations, representing 67% of the total number of the
investigations opened in 2005 in the State aid field.

3.2.1. Deprived areas

In 2005, the Competition Council carried out two actions for monitoring the regional State aids
which the undertakings operating in the deprived areas benefited from. There were taken into
consideration the evaluation of their quantum, as well as the determination of the impact
produced over the development level of the deprived areas.

In the first stage, developed during March June, the Competition Council verified a number of
1,848 undertakings and found out that the total value of the achieved investments was of approx.
RON 2.271 mil., as land acquisitions, building constructions, industrial halls, equipments and
machines, as well as other equipments necessary for carrying out the activity in the area. The
value of the State aid granted during 2003 - 2004 in order to create investments was of approx.
RON 187.6 mil. The State aids for job creation were in value of RON 2.5 mil., and together with
the aids for investments had as effect the creation of a number of 53,015 jobs.

As well, as a result of the monitoring and subsequent investigation carried out in this case, 31
undertakings exceeding the intensity were identified, and for these undertakings the Competition
Council issued the Decision no. 184 / 2005 for the recovery of the illegal State aids (see section
Investigations).

The second stage, the monitoring and controlling action carried out during September
October referred to a number of 1,679 undertakings. It was found out that the total value of the
State aid of which the controlled undertakings benefited was in amount of approx. RON 324 mil.,
and the value of the investments was more than RON 2,192 mil. Due to the granted State aids,
60,636 jobs were created.

As regards the intensity of the granted State aids, the Competition Council reached the following
conclusions:

- 37 of the concerned undertakings reached the maximum admissible intensity. The

beneficiaries of the support measure which reached the maximum admissible intensity are SMEs
and carrying out their activity in the following counties: Alba, Bihor, Bistria-Nsud, Cara-
Severin, Harghita, Hunedoara, Maramure, Prahova, Slaj, Sibiu and Suceava. The Competition
Council considered that, by continuing to grant facilities to these 37 undertakings, the State aid
granted over the maximum admissible intensity becomes an unlawful and incompatible aid. Thus,
the provisions of both the State Aid Law and the Accession Treaty of Romania to the European
Union would be broken. Through the Decision no. 227 / 20.12.2005, it was ordered to be
stopped the granting of the regional aid for the 37 above mentioned undertakings, the Ministry
of Public Finance, as State aid grantor, having the entire responsibility to take all
necessary measures in order to apply the Competition Council's decision;

61
 - 20 de ageni economici au nregistrat depiri ale limitei maxim admis a intensitii
ajutoarelor de stat. n acest caz, prin ordin al preedintelui Consiliului Concurenei, s-a dispus
deschiderea din proprie iniiativ a unei investigaii7.

Comparativ cu rezultatele aciunii de monitorizare ntreprins de Consiliul Concurenei n

anul 2004, situaia numrului operatorilor economici din zonele defavorizate care au depit
limita maxim admis a intensitii ajutoarelor regionale se prezint astfel:

Fig. 10 - Numrul operatorilor economici din zonele defavorizate care au depit

limita maxim admis a intensitii ajutoarelor de stat, identificai n urma
aciunilor de monitorizare ntreprinse n anii 2004 i 2005

Scderea de peste 3 ori a numrului operatorilor economici care au depit limita maxim
admis a intensitii ajutoarelor regionale de care acetia au beneficiat demonstreaz faptul c
aciunea de monitorizare specific ntreprins de Consiliul Concurenei n anul 2004, ct i
msurile luate la nivelul anului 2004 privind stoparea acordrii ajutoarelor de stat n aceste cazuri
au condus la creterea gradului de contientizare a regulilor aplicabile n domeniu, att la nivelul
furnizorilor, ct i al beneficiarilor de ajutoare de stat.

Rezultatele celor dou aciuni de monitorizare specifice derulate n anul 2005 confirm
aceeai tendin de scdere a numrului operatorilor economici care au depit limita maxim
admis a intensitii ajutoarelor regionale de care au beneficiat.

Fig. 11 - Evoluia numrului operatorilor economici din zonele defavorizate care au

depit limita maxim admis a intensitii ajutoarelor de stat identificai n urma
aciunilor de monitorizare ntreprinse n anul 2005

Intensificarea aciunilor de monitorizare n anul 2005 fa de anul 2004, nsprirea n anul

2005 a msurilor ntreprinse de Consiliul Concurenei privind ajutoarele de stat ilegale, ct i
implicarea inspectorilor de concuren pe parcursul controalelor efectuate, au asigurat ntrirea
disciplinei furnizorilor i agenilor economici n acest domeniu.

7
Investigaia a fost finalizat n anul 2006: prin Decizia nr. 52 din data de 9 martie 2006 s-a dispus recuperarea ajutoarelor de stat pentru 19 ageni economici i
de stopare pentru un alt agent economic care opereaz n cadrul zonelor defavorizate.

62
- 20 undertakings recorded exceeding of the maximum admissible intensity of the State aid.
In this case, by Order of the Competition Council's President, it was ordered the opening of an
ex- officio investigation7.

In comparison with the results of the monitoring action carried out by the Competition Council in
2004, the situation regarding the number of undertakings from the deprived areas that exceeded
the maximum admissible intensity of the regional aids is as follows:

Graph no. 10 - Number of the undertakings from the deprived areas that exceeded
the maximum admissible intensity of the State aids, identified following the
monitoring actions carried out in 2004 and 2005

The decrease with over almost 3 times of the number of undertakings that exceeded the
maximum admissible intensity of the regional aids of which they benefited proves the fact that the
specific monitoring action carried out by the Competition Council in 2004, and the measures
taken in 2004 with regard to stop the granting of State aids in these cases led to the increase of
the degree of awareness of the rules applicable in this field, by both grantors and beneficiaries of
State aids.

The results of the two specific monitoring actions carried out in 2005 confirm the same decrease
trend of the number of undertakings that exceeded the maximum admissible limit of intensity of
the regional State aids which they benefited from.

Graph no. 11 Evolution of the number of undertakings operating in the deprived areas
that exceeded the maximum admissible limit of the State aids intensity, undertakings
identified following the monitoring actions carried out in 2005

The intensification of the monitoring actions in 2005 comparing to 2004, hardening in 2005 of
the measures taken by the Competition Council with regard to the illegal State aids, and the
involvement of the competition inspectors during the carried out controls ensured the
strengthening of the discipline of the grantors and undertakings in this field.

7
The investigation was completed in 2006: through its Decision no. 52 / 09.03.2006, the Competition Council ordered the recovery of State aids granted for 19
undertakings and the stopping of those granted for another undertaking operating within the deprived areas.

63
 3.2.2. Zone libere

Zonele libere funcioneaz n baza

Legii nr. 84/1992 modificat i completat.
Regimul de zon liber se poate institui n scopul
promovrii schimburilor internaionale i al atragerii
de capital pentru introducerea tehnologiilor noi,
precum i pentru sporirea posibilitilor de folosire a
resurselor economiei naionale, n porturile
maritime, fluviale, n lungul canalelor navigabile i n
teritoriile din apropierea punctelor de trecere a
frontierei.
n acest sens, pentru operatorii economici
care desfoar activiti n zonele libere, pe baza
licenelor de lucru eliberate de administraiile
acestor zone, au fost instituite o serie de faciliti
de natura ajutorului de stat.
Aplicarea n continuare a unei politici
eficiente, pro-active, care s conduc la creterea
nivelului economic prin stimularea investiiilor i a schimburilor comerciale, a determinat Romnia
s solicite Comisiei Europene o perioad de tranziie pn la finele anului 2011 pentru acordarea
ajutoarelor de stat n zonele libere. Astfel, prin prevederile Hotrrii de Guvern nr.1900/2004
privind compatibilizarea ajutoarelor de stat existente, acordate n temeiul Legii nr. 82/1992
privind regimul zonelor libere, au rmas n vigoare urmtoarele faciliti: scutirea de la plata
impozitului pe profit - msur valabil pn la 31 decembrie 2006 i diminuarea redevenei pe
care agenii economici o pltesc administratorilor zonelor libere - msur valabil pn la 31
decembrie 2011. Conform aceluiai act normativ, acest sprijin constituie ajutor de stat regional
acordat pentru investiia iniial sau pentru crearea de locuri de munc realizate n perioada 30
iulie 1992 - 1 noiembrie 2004.

n anul 2005, prin inspectoratele teritoriale de concuren, Consiliul Concurenei a

desfurat dou aciuni de monitorizare a ajutoarelor de stat acordate operatorilor din cele
5 zone libere operaionale.

Prima aciune de monitorizare s-a ncheiat n luna februarie a anului 2005 printr-un
raport privind rezultatele controlului asupra a 159 operatori economici. Aciunea de monitorizare
a vizat ajutoarele de stat acordate n perioada 2003-2004, acestea fiind reprezentate de scutirea
total de la plata impozitului pe profit, de care au beneficiat 3 ageni economici, i de reducerea la
plata impozitului pe profit, de care au beneficit 59 de ageni economici. Valoarea total a
ajutoarelor de stat acordate a fost n valoare total de 58,5 mil. RON. Facilitatea privind
reducerea la plata impozitului pe profit a ncetat la 31 decembrie 2004.
Valoarea investiiilor realizate, pn n data de 1 noiembrie 2004, de ctre operatorii
economici care au desfurat activitate n zonele libere operaionale, s-a ridicat la aproximativ
224,4 mil RON, iar investiiile n infrastructur au fost de 145.460 RON.

Cea de a doua aciune de monitorizare, desfurat n luna august 2005, a vizat

ajutoarele de stat n valoare total de 3,7 mil. RON acordate n perioada ianuarie 2003 - iulie 2005
unui numr de 34 ageni economici din zonele libere care mai pot beneficia n continuare de ajutor
de stat sub forma diminurii redevenei n cuantum calculat de MFP8. Valoarea total a investiiilor
realizate de ctre acetia, pn la data de 1 noiembrie 2004, s-a ridicat la 97,6 mil. RON.
De asemenea, s-a constatat c intensitatea ajutorului primit de societile verificate se

8
n conformitate cu prevederile HG nr.1900/2004, agenii economici care funcioneaz n regim de zon liber i care au ncheiate contracte de concesiune cu
administraiile zonelor libere, beneficiaz de ajutor de stat regional care const n diminuarea redevenei pe care trebuie s o plteasc conform contractelor de
concesiune ncheiate. Pentru redevena care nu se ncaseaz, datorit acestei faciliti, se aloc administraiilor zonelor libere sume de la bugetul de stat prin
bugetul Ministerului Transporturilor, Construciilor i Turismului sau prin bugetul local.

64
3.2.2. Free zones

The free zones operate according to the

provisions of the Law no. 84/1992, amended
and completed. The regime of free zones can
be instituted for promoting the international
exchanges and for capital injection for
introducing new technologies, as well as for
increasing the possibilities to use the national
economy resources, in the maritime and river
ports, along navigable channels and in the
territories near cross-border check points.
To this extent, for the undertakings that
operate in free zones, based on their working
certificate issued by the administrators of
these zones, a series of facilities as State aid
were instituted.
The further application of an efficient, pro-
active, policy that must lead to the increase of the economic level through stimulating the
investments and commercial exchanges, determined Romania to request to the European
Commission a transition period until the end of 2011 in order to grant State aids in free zones.
Thus, by the provisions of the Governmental Decision no.1900/2004 regarding the compatibility
of the existing State aids, granted under Law no. 82/1992 regarding the regime of the free
zones, the following facilities are still in force: exemption from the payment of profit tax measure
valid until December 31, 2006 and the diminish of the royalty that the undertakings pay to the free
zone administrators measure valid until December 31, 2011. According to the same normative
act, this support constitutes regional State aid granted for the initial investment or for jobs
creation achieved during July 30, 1992 November 1, 2004.

In 2005, through the territorial inspectorates, the Competition Council carried out two monitoring
actions of the State aids granted to the undertakings from the 5 free operational zones.

The first action of monitoring State aids granted within the free trade zones was completed in
February 2005, through a report on the results of the controlling action carried out at 159
undertakings in free zones. The monitoring action was targeted to the State aids granted during
2003-2004, these being represented by the complete exemption from payment of the profit tax,
of which 3 undertakings benefited, and the reduction of the profit tax payment, of which 59
undertakings benefited. The total value of the State aids granted was in total value of RON 58.5
mil. The facility regarding the reduction of the profit tax payment stopped on December 31, 2004.
The value of the investments carried out, until November 1, 2004, by the undertakings that
operated in the operational free zones was of approx. RON 224.4 mil, and the investments in
infrastructures were of RON 145,460.

The second monitoring action carried out in August 2005, was targeted to the State aids granted
during January 2003 July 2005 in total value of RON 3.7 mil. These State aids were granted to
34 undertakings in free zones, which might further benefit from State aid granted in the form of
royalty diminishing, in an amount calculated by the Ministry of Public Finance8. Until November
2004, the total value of the investments carried out by these was in amount of RON 97.6 mil.

It was found out that the intensity of State aid received by the verified undertakings was situated
much under the maximum admissible level. In case of a single undertaking, namely Romned

8
According to the provisions of GD no. 1900 / 2004, undertakings operating under free zone regime and having concession contracts concluded with free zones
administrations, are benefiting from regional State aid consisting of diminishing of the royalty to be paid by them, in accordance with the conditions of the concluded
concession contracts. For the royalty that does not collect, because of this facility, the corresponding amounts are allocated, from the budget of the Ministry of
Transport, Constructions, and Tourism or from the local budget, to the administrations of free trade zones.

65
 situeaz mult sub nivelul maxim admis. n cazul unei singure societi, Romned Company SRL,
Consiliul Concurenei a solicitat Ministerului Finanelor Publice luarea msurilor corespunztoare
n vederea eliminrii incompatibilitii constatate. n cazul societii amintite, n luna noiembrie,
Consiliul a declanat o investigaie din oficiu9, n scopul analizei facilitilor acordate peste
limita maxim admis.

3.2.3. Parcuri industriale

Parcul industrial reprezint o zon delimitat n care se desfoar activiti economice,

de cercetare tiinific, de producie industrial i servicii, de valorificare a cercetrii tiinifice
i/sau de dezvoltare tehnologic, ntr-un regim de faciliti specifice, n vederea valorificrii
potenialului uman i material al zonei.

n cadrul aciunii de monitorizare au fost verificate 25 de societi-administrator ale

parcurilor industriale. Facilitile de care au beneficiat parcurile industriale, n valoare total de
11,48 mil. RON, au fost: deducerea suplimentar de 20% din profitul impozabil (4 parcuri
industriale), scutirea de la plata impozitului pe teren (7 parcuri industriale), scutire de la plata
impozitului pe cldiri (7 parcuri industriale) i fonduri nerambursabile (4 parcuri industriale).
Valoarea investiiilor realizate, concretizate n modernizarea cldirilor n vederea nchirierii,
construirea reelelor de drumuri i utiliti, s-a ridicat la suma de 116,54 mil. RON. Cu toate
acestea, cele mai multe parcuri industriale (15), aflndu-se nc n faza de amenajare, nu au
finalizat investiiile, aa nct societile-administrator nu au beneficiat de toate msurile de
ajutor de stat prevzute n schemele autorizate de ctre autoritatea de concuren.
Consiliul Concurenei va continua monitorizarea parcurilor industriale, n vederea
verificrii respectrii condiiilor de acordare a ajutoarelor de stat regionale.

3.2.4. Alte aciuni de monitorizare

Verificarea actelor administrative emise de autoritile administraiei publice

centrale, susceptibile de a conine msuri de ajutor de stat care nu au fost notificate

n cursul anului 2005 au fost analizate actele normative emise n anul 2004 i s-a nceput
analiza celor emise n 2005. n acest sens, a fost analizat un numr de 260 acte normative,
urmrind identificarea acelor msuri de ajutor de stat care nu au fost notificate Consiliului
Concurenei. Furnizorii au fost atenionai n acest sens.

Ca urmare a controalelor efectuate pentru identificarea potenialelor ajutoare de stat

acordate agenilor economici menionai n actele normative analizate s-au iniiat investigaii fa
de 7 ageni economici.

n cadrul aceleiai aciuni, au fost analizate acte administrative emise de Consiliile locale i
judeene care instituiau msuri de ajutor de stat. n majoritatea cazurilor s-a constatat c, ajutoarele
de stat acordate nu au depit pragul de minimis (400 mii RON ntr-o perioad de trei ani).

Identificarea i supravegherea relaiilor financiare dintre autoritile

administraiei publice i ntreprinderile publice, verificarea respectrii obligaiilor
prevzute de Regulamentul privind transparena relaiilor financiare dintre
autoritile publice i ntreprinderile publice, precum i transparena financiar n
cadrul anumitor ntreprinderi

9
Investigaia a fost finalizat n anul 2006: prin Decizia nr. 82 din data de 4 aprile 2006 s-a dispus recuperarea ajutorului de stat ilegal i incompatibil cu un
mediu concurenial normal de care a beneficiat SC Romned Company SRL.

66
Company SRL, the Competition Council requested to the Ministry of Public Finance to take the
necessary measures in order to eliminate the incompatibility. In this case, the Competition
Council started an ex-officio investigation9, in November 2005, aiming to analyze the
facilities granted over the maximum admissible limit.

3.2.3. Industrial Parks

The industrial park represents a limited area in which there are carried out economic activities,
scientific research, industrial and services production, activities for capitalizing the scientific
research and/or technological development, in a regime of specific facilities, in order to capitalize
the human and material resources of that area.

Within the monitoring action, 25 companies that administer the industrial parks were verified.
The facilities, of which the industrial parks benefited, in total value of RON 11.48 mil., were:
supplementary deduction of 20% from the taxable profit (4 industrial parks), exemption from the
land tax payment (7 industrial parks), exemption from the building tax payment (7 industrial parks)
and non-reimbursable funds (4 industrial parks). The value of the carried out investments,
materialized in modernizing the buildings in order to be rented, building the road and utilities
networks, was in amount of RON 116.54 mil. Nevertheless, the most industrial parks (15), being
still within the setting-up stage, did not complete their investments, so that the administering
companies could not benefit from all State aid measures stipulated by the schemes
authorized by the competition authority.
The Competition Council shall continue to monitor the industrial parks, in order to verify the
observance of the granting conditions of the regional State aids.

3.2.4. Other monitoring actions

Verifying those administrative acts, issued by the central public administration

authorities, which are liable to contain un-notified State aids

During 2005, the Competition Council analyzed the normative acts issued in 2004 and began the
analysis of those issued in 2005. To this extent, a number of 260 normative acts has been
analyzed, in order to identify those State aid measures which hadn't been notified to the
Competition Council. State aid grantors have been accordingly informed.

As a result of the controlling actions carried out in order to identify the potential State aids granted
to the undertakings stipulated in the analyzed normative acts, investigations at 7 undertakings
have been opened.

Within the same action, normative acts issued by the local and councils bodies establishing State
aid measures have been analyzed. In most cases, it was found out that the granted State aids
have not exceeded the de minimis threshold (RON 400 thousand within a 3 years period).

Identifying and supervising financial relationships between the public

administration authorities and the public companies, verifying the observance of
the obligations stipulated by the Regulation on the transparency of financial
relations between public authorities and public undertakings, and on financial
transparency within certain undertakings

9
The investigation was finalized in 2006: by Decision no. 82 of April 4, 2006 the recovery of the illegal and incompatible State aid with a normal competitive
environment of which SC Romned Company SRL benefited was ordered

67
 Prin inspectoratele de concuren teritoriale, au fost verificate 68 de ntreprinderi,
constatnd c 52 dintre acestea intr sub incidena Regulamentului Consiliului Concurenei.

Consiliul Concurenei a impus ntreprinderilor publice, prin stabilirea unui termen de 6 luni
de la data ncheierii aciunii de verificare, s-i organizeze evidenele relaiilor financiare astfel
nct s se reflecte cu claritate fondurile puse la dispoziie n mod direct de ctre autoritile
publice sau prin intermediul altor ntreprinderi publice sau instituii financiare, precum i utilizarea
efectiv a acestor fonduri.

ntreprinderile care beneficiaz de drepturi speciale sau exclusive, ori care presteaz un
serviciu de interes economic general, trebuie s ia msuri n vederea stabilirii unei structuri
organizatorice i financiare care s asigure inerea unei evidene contabile separate care s
reflecte n mod clar costurile i veniturile aferente diferitelor activiti.

Consiliul Concurenei a atenionat ntreprinderile publice asupra necesitii respectrii

termenului de 60 de zile de la ncheierea exerciiului financiar precedent, termen n care sunt
obligate s comunice ndeplinirea condiiilor de ncadrare n categoriile de ntreprinderi stabilite
prin Regulament.

Verificarea agenilor economici care au beneficiat de facilitile prevzute de

Legea nr. 332/2001 privind promovarea investiiilor directe cu impact
semnificativ n economie

n cadrul acestei aciuni, au fost verificai 163 de ageni economici, constatndu-se c

doar 63 dintre acetia au beneficiat de ajutor de stat ca urmare a finalizrii unor investiii a cror
valoare depete 1 milion USD. Nu au fost identificate cazuri n care intensitatea admis a
ajutorului de stat s fie depit sau investiia s fie meninut pe o perioad mai mic de 5 ani.

Totodat, s-a constat c au fost acordate faciliti n urmtoarele domenii de activitate:

telecomunicaii, servicii, comer, industria energetic, prelucrarea lemnului, fabricarea
articolelor de mbrcminte, fabricarea hrtiei i a cartonului, fabricarea recipientelor,
containerelor i a altor produse similare din oel, fabricarea vopselelor, lacurilor, cernelurilor
tipografice, producia de componente i sisteme auto. De menionat este faptul c facilitile
acordate au avut ca efect crearea unui numr de 10.926 noi locuri de munc.

Monitorizarea ajutoarelor de stat de care au beneficiat agenii economici care

desfoar activiti n industria autovehiculelor, n conformitate cu prevederile
Regulamentului multisectorial privind ajutorul de stat regional pentru proiecte
mari de investiii

Au fost verificai 16 ageni economici, din care numai 7 intr sub incidena
Regulamentului. SC Automobile Dacia SA Piteti este singura beneficiar de ajutor de stat pentru
proiecte mari de investiii n sectorul auto.
n dou cazuri (societile ARO SA Cmpulung Muscel i ROMAN SA Braov) s-a constatat
existena unor ajutoare presupus ilegale, ceea ce a determinat deschiderea unor investigaii de
ctre Consiliul Concurenei. Acestea se afl n curs de desfurare.

Verificarea condiiilor de autorizare a ajutoarelor de stat prevzute n Deciziile

Consiliului Concurenei i a stadiului derulrii acestora

Potrivit prevederilor art.17 alin.(1) din Regulamentul privind ajutorul de stat pentru
salvarea i restructurarea firmelor n dificultate, cu modificrile i completrile ulterioare,
Consiliul Concurenei trebuie s fie n msur s se asigure c planul de restructurare este
corect implementat, prin examinarea rapoartelor periodice detaliate, comunicate de furnizorul de
ajutor de stat n cauz.

68
The Competition Council, through its territorial competition inspectorates, verified 68 undertakings,
finding out that 52 of them fell under the incidence of the Competition Council's Regulation.

The Competition Council, establishing a 6 months deadline, from the date of completing the
verifying action, has imposed to the public undertakings to organize their financial relations
records in such a manner as to clearly reflect the public funds directly granted by public
authorities, or those granted through other public undertakings or financial institutions, as well as
their effective use.

Undertakings benefiting from special or exclusive rights, or those performing a service of general
economic interest should take measures in order to establish an organizational and financial
structure capable to ensure a separate financial accounting, which clearly reflects the costs and
incomes corresponding to different activities.

The Competition Council informed public undertakings about the necessity to observe the 60 days
time limit, from the end of the previous financial year, established for their reports on fulfillment of
the framing conditions related to the categories of undertakings established by the Regulation.

The verification of undertakings which benefited from the facilities foreseen by the
Law no.332/2001 on promotion of the direct investment having significant
impact on economy

Within this action, 163 undertakings have been verified, and it was found out that only 63 from
them had benefited from State aid, as a result of the completing of certain investment, amounting
over USD 1,000,000. No cases exceeding the admissible State aid intensity or maintaining the
investment for a period shorter than 5 years have been identified.

In the same time, it was found out that facilities have been granted in the following fields:
communications services, services, trade, power industry, wood processing, textile industry,
paper and board processing, manufacturing of recipients, containers and other similar steel
products, manufacturing of paints, varnishes and printing inks, manufacturing of car components
and systems.
It has to be mentioned that granted facilities had as effect the creation of 10,926 new jobs.

Monitoring State aids granted to undertakings operating in the motor vehicles

industry, according to the Multisectoral Regulation on regional State aid for large
investment projects

Out of the 16 undertakings verified, only 7 fell under the Regulation's incidence. SC Automobile
Dacia SA Piteti is the sole beneficiary of State aid for large investment projects from the motor
vehicles sector.
The existence of some supposed unlawful State aids has been found out in 2 cases (ARO SA
Cmpulung Muscel and ROMAN SA Braov), that being the reason for the Competition Council to
open some investigations, which are ongoing.

Verifying the conditions for authorizing State aids, foreseen within the Competition

Council's Decisions and the stage of their enforcement

According to art.17 (1) of the Regulation on State aid for rescue and restructuring firms in
difficulty, with subsequent amendments and completions, The Competition Council should be able
to ensure itself, through examination of the detailed periodical reports forwarded by the
concerned State aid grantor, that the restructuring plan is accurately implemented.

69
 n anul 2005 au fost ntocmite 2 Rapoarte de monitorizare (n aprilie i august 2005)
coninnd rezultatele analizei modului de implementare a planurilor de restructurare ce au stat la
baza autorizrii ajutoarelor de stat pentru un numr de circa 40 ageni economici beneficiari.

Urmare analizei efectuate s-a constatat c nu sunt abateri semnificative de la msurile

prevzute n planurile de restructurare, agenii economici implementnd msurile stabilite.

Furnizorilor care nu au respectat termenul de raportare prevzut la art.18 al

Regulamentului, li s-au transmis scrisori prin care Consiliul Concurenei a solicitat respectarea
termenului de raportare, n caz contrar urmnd a se aplica sanciunile prevzute n
H.G. nr. 490/2005 privind unele msuri pentru accelerarea procesului de implementare a
reglementrilor privind ajutorul de stat.

3.3. Raportul ajutoarelor de stat acordate

n Romnia n perioada 2002-2004

Conform prevederilor Legii nr. 143/1999 privind ajutorul de stat, republicat, ncepnd cu anul
2004, Consiliului Concurenei i revine sarcina ntocmirii i actualizrii anuale a Inventarului ajutoarelor
de stat, care cuprinde toate schemele de ajutor de stat i ajutoarele de stat individuale existente.

Pe baza Inventarului, Consiliul Concurenei a ntocmit, la sfritul anului 2005, Raportul

ajutoarelor de stat acordate n Romnia n perioada 2002-2004, fiind prezentat i aprobat n
edina de Guvern din 12 ianuarie 2006 i publicat n Monitorul Oficial nr. 138 bis din 14 februarie
2006.

Raportul prezint o situaie a nivelului, structurii i tendinelor nregistrate n acordarea

ajutoarelor de stat n ara noastr n perioada 2002-2004, fiind al aselea raport anual elaborat
de Romnia de la intrarea n vigoare a Legii nr. 143/1999 privind ajutorul de stat.

Astfel, Raportul reprezint un instrument statistic, destinat asigurrii transparenei n

materia ajutorului de stat i a fost ntocmit pe baza datelor i informaiilor transmise de ctre toi
furnizorii de ajutor de stat autoriti publice centrale i locale precum i de organisme care
administreaz surse ale statului sau ale colectivitilor locale, cuprinznd i ajutoarele de stat
acordate sub pragul de minimis pentru care nu exist obligaia notificrii la Consiliul Concurenei.

Elementele de noutate din Raport vizeaz: ajutoarele de stat acordate n vederea

funcionrii n condiii de siguran a serviciilor de interes economic general, ajutoarele sociale i
strategia Comisiei Europene de reformare a politicii n domeniul ajutoarelor de stat.

Totodat, raportul este conceput pe structura Scoreboard-ului ajutoarelor de stat,

elaborat de Comisia European prin care aceasta evalueaz evoluia ajutoarelor de stat acordate
de statele membre ale Uniunii Europene, asigurndu-se astfel compatibilitatea cu acestea.

70
Two Monitoring Reports have been elaborated in 2005 (in April and in August 2005), containing
the results of the analysis concerning the manner of implementing the restructuring plans which
represented the basis for the State aids authorizations given to approximately 40 beneficiaries.

As a result of carried out analysis, it was found out that there are no significant deviations from the
measures foreseen within the restructuring plans, as the concerned undertakings have
implemented the established measures.

The Competition Council has sent letters to the State aid grantors which did not observe the
reporting time limit stipulated by art. 18 of the Regulation, requesting to comply with legal
provisions, because, otherwise, the sanctions stipulated by GD no. 490 / 2005 regarding
certain measures for accelerating the process of implementing of State aid rules shall be applied.

3.3. Report on State aids granted

in Romania during 2002-2004

According to provisions of State Aid Law no. 143 / 1999, republished, beginning with 2004, the
Competition Council had the task to annually draw up and update the State Aids Inventory, which
included all the existing State aid schemes and individual State aids.

Based upon the Inventory, the Competition Council worked out, at the end of 2005, the Report on
State Aids granted in Romania during 2002-2004, which was approved on 12.01.2006,
within the Government meeting, and published in the Official Gazette of Romania no.138 bis of
14.02.2006.

The Report presented a situation of the level, structure and trends registered in the activity of
granting State aids, in our country, during 2002-2004, this being the 6th annual report drawn up
by Romania, from the entry into force of the State Aid Law no. 143 / 1999.

Thus, the report represented a statistical overview, aimed to ensure the transparency in State aid
field, and was worked out on the basis of data and information sent by all State aid grantors
central and local public authorities as well as by other bodies administering State or local
communities sources, and it also included State aids granted under the de minimis threshold, for
which there is no obligation to notify the Competition Council.

The novelty items of the report refer to: State aids granted with a view to ensure safe functioning
of the services of general economic interest, social State aids, and the European Commission
Strategy on State Aid policy reform.

At the same time, the report was conceived on the structure of the State Aid Scoreboard,
elaborated by the European Commission, assessing the State aids granted by the European
Union's Member States, thus the compatibility between them being ensured.

71
 Comparativ cu anul 2001, n preuri constante, n anul 2004 s-au consemnat cu 33,05%
mai puine ajutoare de stat, fapt ce se nscrie n tendina manifestat pe plan european a
ajutoarelor mai puine dar mai bine acordate.

3.4. Decizii

n baza Legii privind ajutorul de stat, Consiliul Concurenei a emis 80 de decizii10

(Anexa nr.6), cu zece mai puin dect n anul 2004.

Structura deciziilor emise n perioada 2002-2005, n funcie de tipul acestora, este

prezentat n figura 12 i 13.

Fig. 12 - Structura deciziilor n perioada 2004-2005

Fig. 13 - Structura deciziilor n perioada 2002-2003

n anul 2005, pentru prima dat de la data intrrii n vigoare a legii, Consiliul
Concurenei a dispus prin decizii recuperarea, respectiv stoparea acordrii unor ajutoare
de stat. Acest fapt demonstreaz rolul tot mai activ al Consiliului Concurenei n ceea ce privete
respectarea regulilor specifice de ctre furnizorii i beneficiarii de ajutor de stat.

n comparaie cu anul 2004, n anul 2005 deciziile de autorizare condiionat se afl n

cretere uoar, n timp ce numrul notificrilor referitoare la msuri care nu constituie ajutor de
stat s-a redus sensibil deinnd n 2005 doar 10% din total, comparativ cu 25% n anul 2004.

Se constat o cretere semnificativ n 2004 i 2005 a deciziilor de autorizare

condiionat, precum i emiterea unor decizii de interzicere. Cu sprijinul Comisiei Europene, prin
10
Anterior adoptrii, proiectele de decizii au fost examinate de ctre Comisia European n cadrul mecanismului de preconsultare introdus n septembrie 2004.

72
In 2004, there have been recorded by 33.05% less State aids than in 2001 (in constant prices),
this trend being similar with that registered on the European level, namely less and better
targeted State aids.

3.4. Decisions

On the basis of the Law on State aid, the Competition Council issued 80 decisions10 (Annex no. 6),
with ten less than in 2004.

The structure of the decisions issued during 2002-2005, by taking into consideration their
specific types, is presented in figure 12 and 13.

Graph no. 12 Structure of decisions during 2004-2005

Graph no. 13 Structure of decisions during 2002-2003

In 2005, for the first time since the law entered into force, the Competition Council
requested the recovery, respectively stopping the granting of some State aids. This fact
proves the increasing active role of the Competition Council in what regards the observing of
specific rules by the state aid grantors and beneficiaries.

Compared to 2004, in 2005 the number of authorization decisions with conditions has slightly
increased, whereas the number of notifications regarding measures that do not represent State
aid has been appreciably reduced, now representing only 10% from the overall number of
decisions, compared to 25% in 2004.
A significant increase of the authorization decisions with conditions and the issuing of negative
decisions are registered in 2004 and 2005. With the European Commission's support, through

10
Prior to their adoption, draft decisions were assessed by the European Commission within the pre-consultation mechanism, which was implemented in
September 2004

73
 mecanismul de preconsultare, Consiliul Concurenei a mbuntit nu doar calitatea deciziilor, dar
a gsit i noi soluii de compatibilizare a ajutoarelor de stat cu un mediu concurenial normal.

Comparativ cu anul 2005, n perioada 2002-2003, Consiliul Concurenei a emis numai

decizii de autorizare, autorizare condiionat i decizii pentru msuri care nu constituie ajutor de
stat i pentru msuri care nu intr sub incidena legii. Anul 2003 este primul an n care au fost
emise decizii de autorizare condiionat.

Per ansamblul perioadei analizate, este evident faptul c autoritatea de concuren a

crescut n mod continuu calitatea actului decizional, fapt demonstrat i prin diversificarea tipurilor
de decizii emise.

Distribuia pe obiective a ajutoarelor de stat autorizate n perioada 2002-2005 este

ilustrat n figura 14.

Fig.14 - Structura deciziilor pe obiective

n anul 2005, deciziile privind ajutoarele de stat pentru servicii de interes economic
general reprezint 50% din totalul deciziilor de autorizare, fa de doar 11% n 2004, iar
ajutoarele pentru restructurare, dei reprezint 36% din total, sunt n scdere cu 9 % fa de
2004. n perioada 2002-2004, obiectivele vizate cu precdere au fost reprezentate de
dezvoltarea regional i restructurare.
Aceast evoluie nregistrat n perioada 2002-2005 se datoreaz, pe de o parte,
diversificrii i specializrii plajei de obiective ale ajutoarelor de stat autorizate, iar pe de alt
parte, concentrrii ajutoarelor de stat autorizate ctre anumite obiective. Astfel, dac n perioada
2002-2003, Consiliul Concurenei a autorizat cu precdere ajutoare de stat pentru dezvoltare
regional, n perioada 2004-2005 acestea au vizat restructurarea firmelor n dificultate, avnd n
vedere acordarea acestor ajutoare de stat n contextul procesului de privatizare. Scderea, n
anul 2005 comparativ cu anul 2004 a numrului deciziilor viznd obiective de restructurare se
datoreaz, de asemenea, respectrii de ctre Consiliul Concurenei a obligaiilor stabilite prin
Tratatul de aderare de a nu mai autoriza, ncepnd cu 1 ianuarie 2005, niciun ajutor de stat n
favoarea combinatelor incluse n Strategia naional de restructurare a siderurgiei.

3.4.1. Ajutoare de stat autorizate

Valoarea ajutoarelor de stat autorizate a fost de 4.197.729.389, 54 RON,

echivalentul a 1.158.505.655 Euro11, sum de 2,6 ori mai mic comparativ cu anul 2004.
Aceast evoluie a cuantumului total al ajutoarelor de stat autorizate n perioada analizat se
datoreaz, pe de o parte, creterii calitative a actului decizional al Consiliului Concurenei, iar pe

11
calculat n funcie de cursul mediu Leu/Euro pe anul 2005, publicat de Banca Naional a Romniei (3,6234 lei/1 Euro).

74
the pre-consultation mechanism, the Competition Council improved not only the quality of
decisions but also it found new ways to make the state aids compatible with a normal competitive
environment.

Compared to 2005, in what regards the period 2002-2003, the Competition Council exclusively
issued decisions to authorize, decisions to authorize with conditions and decisions on measures
that do not represent State aids and for measures that do not fall under the Law incidence. 2003
is the first year when decisions to authorize with conditions were issued.

During the entire reporting period, it is clear the fact that the competition authority continuously
increased the quality of decision-making, which was also proved by the diversification of the types
of decisions issued.

The distribution of State aids authorized in the period 2002-2005 based on the objective of the
aid is presented in graph 14.

Graph no.14 Structure of decisions based on objectives

In 2005, the decisions on State aids for services of general economic interest represent 50% of
the overall number of authorization decisions, compared to only 11% in 2004, and the
restructuring State aids, although representing 36% from the total, are decreasing with 9 %
compared to 2004. In the period 2002-2004, the objectives mainly aimed at were represented
by regional development and restructuring.
This evolution registered in the period 2002-2005 is due, on the one hand, to the diversification
and specialization of the range of objectives for authorized State aids, and on the other hand, to
the concentration of the authorized State aids towards certain objectives. Thus, if during the
period 2002-2003, the Competition Council authorized state aids for regional development,
during 2004-2005 these aids aimed to restructuring firms in difficulty, having in view the granting
of these aids in the privatization context. The decrease, in 2005 compared to 2004, of the
number of the decisions aiming to restructuring objectives, is also due to the observance by the
Competition Council of the obligations established by the Accession Treaty on the non-
authorization of any state aid in the advantage of steel companies included in The National
Strategy for restructuring the steel industry starting with the 1st of January 2005.

3.4.1. Authorized State Aids

The volume of authorized State aids is RON 4,197,729,389.54, respectively Euro

1,158,505,65511, an amount that is 2.6 times lower compared to 2004. This evolution of the
total volume of authorized State aids during the analyzed period is due, on the one hand, to the
increased quality of decision-making process of the Competition Council, and on the other hand to

11
Calculated at the average ROL/Euro exchange rate in 2005, published by the National Bank of Romania (ROL 3,6234/ Euro 1).

75
 de alt parte, proceselor de la nivelul economiei naionale cum ar fi restructurarea sectorului
siderurgic sau accelerarea privatizrii.

Repartizarea sumelor autorizate n anii 2004 i 2005, n funcie de destinaia acestora pe

obiective, este prezentat n fig. nr.15 i 16

Fig.15 - Repartizarea sumelor autorizate n anul 2004

n anul 2004, proporia mare a ajutoarelor de stat autorizate pentru restructurarea

firmelor n dificultate, n comparaie cu ajutoarele autorizate pentru celelalte obiective, este
explicat de ajutoarele de stat care au fost acordate, n mare msur, ntreprinderilor mari. O
treime dintre societile beneficiare au fost combinate siderurgice.

Fig.16 - Repartizarea sumelor autorizate n anul 2005

n anul 2005, ajutoarele de stat reprezentnd compensri necesare prestrii de ctre

anumite ntreprinderi a unor servicii de interes economic general a avut ponderea cea mai
nsemnat n cuantumul total al ajutoarelor de stat autorizate de ctre Consiliul Concurenei.
Nivelul ridicat al compensrilor privind prestarea serviciilor de interes general se datoreaz, n
principal, deficienelor structurale ale sectorului furnizrii serviciilor de energie termic i
electric, a serviciilor de alimentare cu gaze naturale, precum i n ceea ce privete alimentarea
cu ap potabil i serviciile de canalizare.

Anul 2005 marcheaz o reducere semnificativ, de aproximativ 48 puncte procentuale, a

ponderii ajutoarelor de stat pentru restructurarea firmelor n dificultate n valoarea total a
ajutoarelor autorizate de Consiliul Concurenei. Acest fapt confirm respectarea de ctre Consiliul
Concurenei a obligaiilor de a nu mai autoriza, ncepnd cu anul 2005, niciun ajutor de stat n
favoarea combinatelor incluse n Strategia naional de restructurare a siderurgiei.

Din punctul de vedere al valorii ajutoarele de stat autorizate i n funcie de obiectivul

acordrii, n anul 2005 deciziile Consiliului Concurenei au vizat msuri de natura ajutorului de stat
pentru:

76
the process from the national economy level such as the restructuring of the steel sector or the
acceleration of privatization.

The distribution of the authorized amounts in 2004 and 2005, in terms of their destination based
on objectives, is presented in fig. no. 15 and 16.

Graph no.15 Distribution of the authorized amounts in 2004

In 2004, the large proportion of authorized State aids for restructuring firms in difficulty,
compared to the authorized State aids for the other objectives, is explained by the state aids
granted, to a great extent, to large undertakings. One third of the beneficiary companies were
steel companies.

Graph no.16 - Distribution of the authorized amounts in 2005

In 2005, the State aids representing compensations, required by certain enterprises for
performing some services of general economic interest, had the highest share in the total volume
of State aids authorized by the Competition Council. The high level of compensations for
performing some services of general interest is mainly a consequence of the structural deficiency
of the sector for providing services of thermal and power energy, services for natural gas supply
and also the drinkable water supply and the sewerage services.

2005 marks a significant reduction, of approximately 48% of the share of the State aids for
restructuring firms in difficulty from the total amount of aids authorized by the Competition
Council. This fact confirms the observance by the Competition Council of the obligations that
regard the non-authorization of any state aid in the advantage of the companies included in The
National Strategy for Steel Industry restructuring, starting with 2005.

From the viewpoint of amount of authorized State aids and depending on the objective, the
Competition Council's decisions aimed at State aid measures for:

77
 - Servicii de interes economic general

Serviciul de interes economic general (SIEG) este acel serviciu prestat n condiii de pia
pentru care exist obligaii impuse de autoritile publice privind accesul consumatorilor n mod
nediscriminatoriu.
Potrivit art.23 alin. (1) lit. j) din Legea privind ajutorul de stat, republicat i a
Regulamentului privind ajutorul de stat sub forma compensrilor acordate anumitor ntreprinderi
crora le-a fost ncredinat prestarea serviciilor de interes economic general, Consiliul
Concurenei poate autoriza ajutor de stat pentru prestarea de servicii de interes economic
general, dac se demonstreaz c ajutorul de stat este necesar n vederea operrii unui astfel de
serviciu i nu afecteaz comerul dintre Romnia i statele membre ale Uniunii Europene.
Au fost acordate ajutoare de stat, n valoare de 1.862.895.651,36
RON/514.129.175 Euro pentru prestarea unor servicii de interes economic general, cum
sunt: producerea, distribuia, transportul i furnizarea energiei termice/electrice (25), captarea,
tratarea i furnizarea apei (4), alimentarea cu ap potabil i canalizare (3), furnizarea i
distribuia de gaze naturale (1).
- Restructurare

Atunci cnd analizeaz o msur de ajutor de stat avnd ca obiectiv restructurarea unui
agent economic, Consiliul Concurenei urmrete ndeplinirea mai multor condiii prevzute n
Regulamentul privind salvarea i restructurarea firmelor aflate n dificultate, cum ar fi: firma s fie
n dificultate, s existe un plan de restructurare care s demonstreze viabilitatea pe termen lung a
beneficiarului, ajutorul s fie limitat la strictul necesar pentru a permite restructurarea i, foarte
important, s fie respectat principiul prima i ultima dat.

Toate ajutoarele de stat pentru restructurare au fost autorizate cu condiii.

Condiiile impuse beneficiarilor de ajutor de stat au fost meninerea sau reducerea capacitii de
producie i implementarea integral a planului de restructurare.
n cazul UCM Reia, a fost impus o condiie suplimentar, respectiv interzicerea
comercializrii produselor siderurgice care se regsesc n Anexa nr.1 la Regulamentul
multisectorial privind ajutorul de stat pentru proiecte mari de investiii.
Pentru societile UZTEL Ploieti, MAT Craiova i TREMAG Tulcea, Consiliul Concurenei a
dispus i rambursarea ajutoarelor de stat ilegale primite n perioada 2000-2003. n acest sens,
pe parcursul anului 2005, societile UZTEL Ploieti i TREMAG Tulcea au rambursat ajutoare de
stat ilegale n valoare total de peste 1.000.000 RON.

n cazul societilor UCM Reia SA i Grantmetal SA Bucureti, Consiliul Concurenei a

considerat c este necesar declanarea de investigaii, ntruct existau dubii cu privire la
compatibilitatea cu mediul concurenial a msurilor de ajutor acordate acestora (a se vedea
seciunea Investigaii).
Valoarea ajutoarelor de stat acordate pentru restructurare este de 1.086.913.493,22 RON,
ceea ce reprezint 299.970.606 Euro.

- Dezvoltare regional

Pentru ca un ajutor s fie considerat regional, acesta trebuie s genereze fie investiii
productive (iniiale)12, fie crearea de locuri de munc13 asociate investiiilor respective, n
scopul dezvoltrii durabile a regiunilor rmase n urm. n conformitate cu Harta ajutoarelor
de stat cu finalitate regional, ntreg teritoriul Romniei este considerat ca fiind o astfel de

12
investiia sub form de capital fix pentru deschiderea unei noi activiti, extinderea unei activiti existente sau iniierea unei activiti care implic schimbarea
fundamental a produsului ori a procesului de producie dintr-o unitate existent
13
creterea real a numrului de locuri de munc din ntreprinderea beneficiar a unui ajutor de stat, raportat la media perioadei de referin, respectiv media
ultimelor 12 luni

78
- Services of general economic interest

The services of general economic interest (SIEG) are that services operated under market
conditions for which there are obligations imposed by local authorities regarding consumers'
access in a non-discriminatory way.
According to art.23 (1) par. j) of the State Aid Law, republished and to the Regulation on State aid
as compensations granted to undertakings entrusted with services of general economic interest,
the Competition Council can authorize State aid for services of general economic interest if it is
proved that the State aid is necessary in order for such a service to be provided and if it does not
affect the trade between Romania and the Member States of the European Union.
State aids, in amount of RON 1,862,895,651.36 respectively Euro 514,129,175 were
granted for the delivery of services of general economic interest, such as: production,
distribution, transportation and supply of thermal/power energy (25), capture, treatment and
supply of water (4), supply of drinkable water and sewerage (3), supply and distribution of natural
gas (1).

- Restructuring

When it analyses a State aid measure that has as objective the restructuring of an undertaking,
the Competition Council assesses the fulfillment of several conditions stipulated in the Regulation
on State aid for rescue and restructuring firms in difficulty, such as: the firm must be in difficulty,
there must be a restructuring plan which proves the beneficiary's long-term viability, the State aid
must be limited to the minimum necessary in order to allow restructuring and, very important, the
principle first time, last time must be observed.

All State aids for restructuring were authorized with conditions. The conditions imposed on
the beneficiaries of State aid were the maintenance or reduction of production capacities and the
complete implementation of the restructuring plan.
In case of UCM Reia, an additional condition was imposed, respectively it was prohibited the
commercialization of the steel products included in Annex no.1 to the Multisectoral Regulation on
State aid for large investment projects.
In the case of the undertakings UZTEL Ploieti, MAT Craiova and TREMAG Tulcea, was also
imposed the condition regarding the reimbursement of the illegal State aids received during
2000-2003. For this, during 2005, the companies UZTEL Ploieti and TREMAG Tulcea
reimbursed illegal State aids in total amount of RON 1,000,000.

In the case of UCM Reia SA and Grantmetal SA Bucharest, the Competition Council considered
necessary to open investigations since there were doubts regarding the compatibility of the
granted State aid measures with the competitive environment. (see section Investigations)
The amount of State aids for restructuring is of RON 1,086,913,493.22, respectively Euro
299,970,606.

- Regional development

For a State aid to be considered regional, it must generate either productive investments
(initial) 12, or create new jobs 13 associated with the respective investments, in view of
the sustainable development of the less-favored regions. In accordance with the
Regional Aid Map for Romania, Romania's entire territory is considered to be such a

12
Investment in fixed capital relating to the setting-up of a new activity, the extension of an existing activity or the starting-up of an activity involving a fundamental
change in the product or production process of an existing establishment.
13
Net increase in the number of jobs at the beneficiary undertaking, compared to the average over a reference period of time, namely the average of the last 12 months.

79
 regiune. Att ajutorul pentru investiia iniial, ct i cel pentru crearea de locuri de munc trebuie
acordate condiionat de meninerea investiiei iniiale sau a locurilor de munc nou create
pentru o perioad minim de 5 ani.
Consiliul Concurenei a autorizat ase ajutoare de stat pentru dezvoltare regional, din care
dou acordate n baza Programului de dezvoltare parcuri industriale. Valoarea ajutoarelor de stat
autorizate este de 289.798.612,5 RON, reprezentnd 79.979.746 Euro.

- Protecia mediului

n baza Legii privind ajutorul de stat i a Regulamentului cu

privire la ajutorul de stat pentru protecia mediului, Consiliul
Concurenei poate autoriza ajutorul de stat avnd ca obiectiv
protecia mediului. Autoritatea de concuren acord atenie
efectelor pe care ajutorul le poate avea din punctul de vedere al
dezvoltrii durabile i al aplicrii depline a principiului "poluatorul
pltete".
Consiliul Local al Municipiului Trgovite a naintat Consiliului
Concurenei notificarea msurii de sprijin financiar pentru SC
Termica SA Trgovite reprezentat de Proiectul de Cogenerare a
Municipiului Trgovite, unul din primele proiecte iniiate n baza
primului AcordCadru ntre Olanda i Guvernul Romniei. Msurile
de ajutor de stat constau n acordarea a 500.000 Euro de ctre
Consiliul Local i garantarea n proporie de 50% a contractului de
finanare prin leasing ncheiat ntre NUON Energy Romnia SRL i
SC Termica SA Trgovite.
Constatnd c ajutorul de stat ndeplinete criteriile de
autorizare stabilite n Regulamentul privind ajutorul de stat pentru
protecia mediului, Consiliul Concurenei l-a autorizat cu condiia
meninerii prevederilor din contractul de leasing inclus n notificare.
Valoarea maxim a ajutorului de stat de care poate beneficia SC
Termica S.A. Trgovite, ca parte a Programului de investiii, este
de 6.838.229,76 RON, respectiv 1.887.241 Euro.

- Cercetare-dezvoltare

Ajutorul de stat pentru cercetare-dezvoltare poate fi autorizat dac respect criteriile din
Regulamentul privind ajutorul de stat pentru cercetare-dezvoltare. Cu ct activitatea de cercetare
i dezvoltare se situeaz mai aproape de pia, cu att mai semnificativ poate fi efectul denaturant
al ajutorului de stat. Pentru a stabili gradul de apropiere fa de pia a ajutorului de stat pentru
cercetare i dezvoltare, Consiliul Concurenei face distincia dintre activitile de cercetare
fundamental, cercetare aplicativ i cercetare-dezvoltare precompetitiv, denumit i
preconcurenial.
Schema de ajutor de stat coninut de Programul Cercetare de Excelen-CEEX, notificat
de ctre Ministerul Educaiei i Cercetrii, cuprinde activiti de cercetare fundamental,
aplicativ i precompetitiv. Sprijinul financiar const n alocri financiare nerambursabile, n
scopul de a stimula dezvoltarea colaborrii ntre unitile i instituiile de cercetare-dezvoltare,
universiti i operatori economici.
Consiliul Concurenei a autorizat schema de ajutor cu condiia ca Ministerul Educaiei i
Cercetrii s urmreasc intensitatea maxim admis prevzut de reglementrile legale n
vigoare, n condiiile cumulului de ajutoare de stat pentru acelai obiectiv i beneficiar.
Bugetul total al Programului prevzut pentru toat perioada de implementare este de
620.000.000 RON, echivalentul a 171.110.007 Euro.

80
region. Both the State aid for the initial investment and the one for job creation must be
granted under the conditions that the initial investment and the newly created jobs
are maintained for a minimum 5 year period.
The Competition Council authorized six State aids for regional development, out of which two
were granted on the basis of the Development Program Industrial Parks. The value of the
authorized State aids is of RON 289,798,612.5, respectively Euro 79,979,746.

- Environmental protection

On the basis of the State Aid Law and of the Regulation

on State aid for environmental protection, the
Competition Council can authorize State aid that has
as objective environmental protection. The
competition authority pays attention to the effects that
the State aid might have from the point of view of the
sustainable development and the complete
observance of the polluter pays principle.
The Local Council of the city of Trgovite forwarded to
the Competition Council the notification of the financial
State aid measures for SC Termica SA Trgovite
represented by the Municipality Trgovite
Cogeneration Project, one of the first projects initiated
on the basis of the Framework Agreement between
Netherlands and the Romanian Government. The
State aid measures consist in granting Euro 500,000
by the Trgovite Local Body and a guarantee of the Trgovite Local Body representing 50% of a
lease financing agreement between NUON Energy Romania SRL and SC Termica SA Trgovite.
Concluding that the State aid fulfils the authorization criteria stipulated in the Regulation on State
aid for environmental protection, the Competition Council authorized it with condition that the
clauses of the leasing contract that was included in the notification are maintained. The maximum
value of the State aid from which SC Termica SA Trgovite can benefit, as part of the Investments
Program, is RON 6,838,229.76, respectively Euro 1,887,241.

- Research-development

The State aid for research and development can be authorized if it fulfils the criteria from the
Regulation regarding the State aid for research and development. The more the research and
development activity is closer to the market the more distortion effect of the State aid might be. In
order to determine the nearness degree to the market of the research and development aid, the
Competition Council distinguishes between the fundamental research activities, applied research
and pre-competitive research-development, also called pre-competitive.
The State aid scheme comprised in the CEEX Excellency Research Program, notified by the
Ministry of Education and Research, includes fundamental research, applied research and pre-
competitive research activities. The financial support consists in non-reimbursable grants, aimed
to stimulate the development of cooperation between the research-development units and
institutions, universities and undertakings.
The Competition Council authorized the State aid scheme with the condition that the Ministry of
Education and Research should observe the maximum allowed intensity foreseen by the legal
provisions currently in place, in the case of cumulating State aids for the same objective and
beneficiary.
The total budget of the Program foreseen for the entire implementation period is RON
620,000,000, respectively Euro 171,110,007.

81
 - Dezvoltarea infrastructurii aeroportuare

Consiliul Concurenei a autorizat ajutorul de stat

pentru Compania Naional Aeroportul Internaional Henri
Coand Bucureti SA, considerndu-l compatibil cu legislaia
romneasc i cu acordurile la care Romnia este parte.
Dezvoltarea i modernizarea infrastructurii va permite
aeroportului s realizeze o mai bun conectare la reeaua
transeuropean de transport i la reelele rilor vecine,
promovnd n acelai timp interoperabilitatea cu acestea, n
condiiile n care aceast infrastructur este pus n mod
nediscriminatoriu la dispoziia tuturor companiilor aeriene i
prestatorilor de servicii care activeaz n perimetrul
aeroportului.
Valoarea ajutorului de stat autorizat este de
331.283.402,7 RON, ceea ce reprezint 91.428.880 Euro.

3.4.2. Ajutoare de stat incompatibile

Anul 2005 este al doilea an consecutiv cnd autoritatea de concuren romn emite
decizii privind interzicerea acordrii ajutoarelor de stat incompatibile. n conformitate cu art. 21
alin. (2) lit. d) din Legea privind ajutorul de stat, republicat, Consiliul Concurenei poate decide
interzicerea acordrii ajutorului de stat, n cazul n care acesta denatureaz semnificativ
mediul concurenial normal i afecteaz aplicarea corespunztoare a acordurilor internaionale la
care Romnia este parte. ntr-o astfel de situaie, n cazul n care ajutorul a fost acordat, acesta
trebuie s fie anulat i recuperat de ctre furnizorul ajutorului sau rambursat de ctre beneficiar.
Ca rezultat al unor investigaii din oficiu, Consiliul Concurenei a decis interzicerea
ajutorului de stat ce se inteniona a fi acordat SC Amitech Ductile SRL Clan, respectiv
recuperarea de ajutoare de stat n urmtoarele cazuri: SC Laminorul SA Brila, SC Terom SA
Iai, SC Aris SA Arad, respectiv pentru 31 ageni economici din zone defavorizate.
Deciziile emise de Consiliul Concurenei privind ajutoarele incompatibile demonstreaz
ntrirea aplicrii legislaiei n domeniul ajutorului de stat, autoritatea de concuren dispunnd
msuri drastice menite s conduc la asigurarea unui mediu concurenial normal. Astfel, dac n
anii anteriori au fost emise decizii de interzicere a acordrii n cazul ajutoarelor de stat ilegale, n
anul 2005 Consiliul Concurenei a emis inclusiv decizii privind recuperarea acestui tip de ajutoare
de stat.

3.4.3. Msuri care nu constituie ajutor de stat

Consiliul Concurenei a adoptat 8 decizii referitoare la msuri care nu constituie ajutor de

stat. ase dintre msurile de sprijin financiar au fost acordate de ctre Ministerul Economiei i
Comerului n contextul privatizrii societilor Distrigaz Nord, Distrigaz Sud, Electrica Banat,
Electrica Dobrogea, Electrica Moldova i Electrica Oltenia. Consiliul a considerat c facilitile nu
constituie ajutor de stat, deoarece acestea au fcut parte din pachetul oferit oricrui investitor
potenial n cadrul unei proceduri de licitaie transparent i deschis, n urma creia s-a stabilit
valoarea just de pia. Acionnd n acest mod, statul a respectat principiul investitorului privat
obinnd un pre competitiv din privatizarea societilor.
n cazul msurii de sprijin acordat SC Rompetrol Rafinare SA Constana de ctre
Ministerul Finanelor Publice, Consiliul Concurenei a decis c msura notificat constnd n
conversia n obligaiuni a datoriilor ctre bugetul de stat nu constituie ajutor de stat, deoarece
statul acioneaz ca un creditor privat care urmrete recuperarea creanei deinute.

82
- Development of airport infrastructure

The Competition Council authorized the State aid for the

National Company the International Airport Henri Coand
Bucharest SA, by considering it compatible with the
Romanian legislation and with the agreements to which
Romania is part of. The development and modernization
of the infrastructure will allow the airport to achieve a
better connection to the trans-European transport
network and to the neighboring countries' networks,
promoting, at the same time, the interoperability with
these ones, if the infrastructure is available on a non-
discriminatory basis to all airlines and services suppliers
which operate within the airport perimeter.
The value of the authorized State aid is RON
331,283,402.7 respectively Euro 91,428,880.

3.4.2. Incompatible State aids

2005 is the second consecutive year when the Romanian Competition authority issued negative
decisions regarding the incompatible State aids. According to art.21 (2) (d) of the State aid Law,
republished, the Competition Council can decide the prohibition of granting the State aid, when
this significantly distorts the normal competitive environment and affects the proper application of
the international agreements to which Romania is part of. In this situation, in case the State aid
was granted, it must be annulled and recovered by the grantor of the aid or reimbursed by the
beneficiary.
As a result of some ex-officio investigations, the Competition Council decided to prohibit the
State aid intended to be granted to SC Amitech Ductile SRL Calan, and the State aid recovery in
four cases, namely: SC Laminorul SA Brila, SC Terom SA Iai, SC Aris SA Arad, respectively in
the case of 31 undertakings from deprived areas.
The decisions regarding the incompatible State aids issued by the Competition Council
demonstrate the strengthening of legislation enforcement in the State aid field, the competition
authority having to impose drastic measures that will ensure a normal competitive environment.
Thus, if in the previous years decisions for the prohibition of granting illegal state aids were issued,
in 2005 the Competition Council also issued decisions for the recovery of this type of State aids.

3.4.3. Measures that do not represent State aid

The Competition Council issued 8 decisions on measures that do not represent State aid. Six of
the financial support measures were granted by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce in the
context of the privatization of the companies Distrigaz Nord, Distrigaz Sud, Electrica Banat,
Electrica Dobrogea, Electrica Moldova and Electrica Oltenia. The Council considered that the
facilities did not constitute State aid because they were part of a package offered to any potential
investor in the framework of a transparent and open tender, when the fair market value was
established. Acting in this way, the State observed the principle of the private investor, obtaining a
competitive price from the privatization of the companies.
In the case of the support measure granted to SC Rompetrol Rafinare SA Constana by the
Ministry of Public Finance, the Competition Council decided that the notified measure consisting in
the conversion of budgetary debts into bonds did not represent State aid, because the State is
acting as a private creditor who aims to recover the owned receivable.

83
 n ceea ce privete, schema de investiii pentru proiecte mici de gestionare a deeurilor,
avnd ca obiectiv principal asigurarea asistenei tehnice i financiare autoritilor publice locale
responsabile cu gestionarea deeurilor n Regiunea Centru a Romniei, s-a constatat c nu
reprezint ajutor de stat, ntruct nu se confer nici un avantaj economic autoritilor locale i
subcontractanilor, astfel nct nu exist riscul distorsionrii concurenei sau a comerului cu
statele membre ale Uniunii Europene.

Acte ale Consiliului Concurenei contestate n justiie

Dintre actele emise n cursul anului 2005 de ctre Consiliul Concurenei au fost atacate n
instan un numr de 26 de decizii, 2 adrese prin care petenii au fost informai c nu sunt incidente
prevederile legii concurenei asupra aspectelor semnalate de acetia, 4 note de constatare privind
depirea intensitii ajutorului de stat acordat i un proces-verbal de sancionare pentru furnizare
de informaii inexacte. Cu privire la aceste acte, n cursul anului 2005, au fost constituite un
numr de 54 de dosare de instan (aciuni) care au vizat fondul cauzei.
n anul 2005 Consiliul Concurenei a avut calitate procesual, activ sau pasiv, ntr-un
numr de 112 dosare n care au fost atacate acte emise de autoritatea de concuren n
domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat (58 de dosare privesc acte emise n anii anteriori).
Dintre aceste dosare, pn la data de 31 decembrie 2005 au fost soluionate n mod irevocabil
31 de dosare, din care 28 de dosare au fost soluionate n favoarea Consiliului Concurenei.
Procentul dosarelor soluionate irevocabil n favoarea Consiliului Concurenei, n sensul meninerii
ca legale i temeinice a actelor emise de acesta, este de 90%.

Fig.17 - Dosare soluionate

Procentul soluiilor pronunate n favoarea autoritii de concuren a fost determinat, n

primul rnd, de fundamentarea temeinic a actelor emise n baza prevederilor Legii concurenei i
ale Legii privind ajutorul de stat, att din punctul de vedere al probelor pe care se sprijin faptele
constatate, ct i din punctul de vedere al motivrii de fapt i de drept, n conformitate cu
dispoziiile legale aplicabile n materie, care respect n totalitate aquis-ul comunitar.

Totodat, la atingerea acestui rezultat au contribuit i seminariile organizate n cadrul

Proiectului de Twinning, care s-au adresat att experilor Consiliului Concurenei, ct i
judectorilor cu atribuii n soluionarea cazurilor de concuren.
n acelai scop, Direcia Juridic Contencios a organizat, ncepnd cu luna octombrie 2005, mese
rotunde cu judectorii, magistraii-asisteni i procurorii cu competene n domeniul concurentei,
n cadrul crora au fost prezentate i discutate cazuri din jurisprudena comunitar, precum i
concepte aplicabile n materie.

Toate aceste aciuni au contribuit la o mai bun pregtire profesional a experilor autoritii de
concuren, precum i la o contientizare a rolului foarte important al instanelor judectoreti n
aplicarea efectiv i eficient a legislaiei concurenei.

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As concerns the investment scheme for small size projects of waste management, having as main
objective to ensure technical and financial assistance to the local public authorities in charge with
waste management in Central Region of Romania, it was concluded that it did not represent State
aid, since no economic advantage was conferred to the local authorities and sub-contractors, so
that there is no risk for distortion of competition or of trade with the Member States of the
European Union.

Acts of the Competition Council appealed before the Court

During 2005, out of the total decisions issued by the Competition Council, 26 decisions, 2 letters
through which the complainants were informed about the lack of incidence over the competition
legal provisions on the aspects they signaled, 4 notes regarding exceeding the intensity of the
State aid granted, and one Minute for sanctioning non -providing complete information were
appealed before the Court. As concerns these acts, during 2005, 54 files aimed at the merits of
cause.
In 2005 the Competition Council was an active or passive party in 112 files in which the acts
issued by the competition authority in the field of competition and State aid were appealed (58 files
regard acts issued in the previous years). Out of these files, until December 31, 2005, 31 files
were irrevocably solved, out of which 28 files were in favour of the Competition Council. The
percentage of the files solved in favour of the Competition Council, by maintaining the legal
background of the acts issued, is of 90%.

Graph no. 17 Solved files

The percentage of solutions deemed in favour of the competition authority was mainly determined
by the in-depth legal reasoning of the acts issued on the basis of the provisions of the Competition
law and the State aid law, both from the point of view of evidences supporting facts, as well as the
de facto and de jure justification, according to the legal provisions in this field, fully in line with the
community acquis.

Moreover, the seminars organised within the Twinning Project, addressed both to the Competition
Council's experts as well as judges dealing with competition cases, also contributed to this result.
In the same purpose, the Legal Directorate organised, starting with October 2005, round tables
with judges, assistant magistrates and prosecutors with competences in the field of competition.
Community cases, as well as principles applicable in this field were presented and discussed
during these round tables.

All these actions contributed to a better professional expertise of the Competition Council's
inspectors, as well as to the acknowledgement of the essential role of Courts in the effective
implementation of Community legislation.

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 Capitolul 4

APLICAREA REGULILOR DE CONCUREN

N SECTOARELE REGLEMENTATE
Avnd n vedere dinamica pe care au cunoscut-o pieele din sectoarele reglementate
(energie, comunicaii, etc) i perspectivele imediate de dezvoltare reprezentate de transformarea
n piee concureniale, prin scderea gradului de reglementare, n perspectiva aderrii la Uniunea
European, s-a continuat colaborarea Consiliului Concurenei cu autoritile de reglementare
(Autoritatea Naional de Reglementare n Comunicaii - ANRC, Autoritatea Naional de
Reglementare n Domeniul Gazelor Naturale - ANRGN, Autoritatea Naional de Reglementare n
Domeniul Energiei Electrice - ANRE i alte autoriti), colaborare axat pe consultri privind
interpretarea prevederilor legale i remiterea de materiale informative cu privire la pia i
legislaie.
Prin implementarea prevederilor legislaiei europene n domeniu a fost creat un cadru
legislativ adecvat funcionrii sectoarelor reglementate din Romnia, n condiii de eficien,
siguran, concuren i transparen. Prin aceste reglementri s-a urmrit asigurarea unui
tratament nediscriminatoriu pentru participanii la pia, precum i protecia consumatorilor
i a mediului.
Liberalizarea sectoarelor trebuie s atrag noi actori pe pia i s conduc n final la
preuri mai mici pentru consumatori. n vederea armonizrii cu acquis-ul comunitar, n cursul
anului 2005 legislaia din sectoarele reglementate a suferit modificri, asigurndu-se n acest fel
condiiile necesare pentru continuarea liberalizrii acestor sectoare.

4.1. Comunicaii

Potrivit angajamentelor din cadrul Organizaiei Mondiale a Comerului Acordul privind

Telecomunicaiile - toate restriciile cu privire la intrarea pe piaa telefoniei au fost ridicate astfel
nct Romnia i-a deschis piaa ctre companiile strine de telecomunicaii.
n vederea creterii concurenei pe pieele din domeniul comunicaiilor, ANRC a participat
activ la adoptarea unei noi legislaii secundare i la msurile de implementare a legislaiei primare
i secundare.
n vederea asigurrii interoperabilitii reelelor i serviciilor de comunicaii electronice, pe
baza principiilor eficienei economice, promovrii concurenei i maximizrii beneficiilor
utilizatorilor finali, ANRC a impus SC Romtelecom SA (operator cu putere semnificativ pe piaa
accesului la reelele publice de telefonie fix n vederea originrii, terminrii i tranzitului apelurilor
i pe piaa serviciilor de linii nchiriate-segmente terminale) obligaii de: transparen,
nediscriminare, inerea evidenei contabile separate, furnizarea unor servicii, acordarea
accesului la anumite faciliti, fundamentarea tarifelor n funcie de costuri.
ANRC a adus completri procedurii de negociere i implementare a acordurilor de
furnizare a accesului necondiionat la bucla local.
n conformitate cu practicile internaionale, ANRC a stabilit c tarifele pentru terminarea

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Chapter 4

IMPLEMENTING COMPETITION RULES

IN REGULATORY SECTORS
Taking into consideration the dynamic of the regulated sectors (energy, communications, etc)
and the immediate perspectives for development represented by the transformation in
competitive markets, through the decrease of the regulation degree, in view of accession to the
European Union, the Competition Council continued its cooperation with the regulatory Authorities
(the National Regulatory Authority in the Communication sector (ANRC), the National Regulatory
Authority in the Natural Gas sector (ANRGN), the National Regulatory Authority in the Electric
power sector (ANRE) and other authorities), collaboration based on consultations regarding the
interpretation of legal provisions and supply of informative materials on market and legislation.
Through the implementation of the provisions of the European legislation in the field a proper
legislative framework has been created for the functioning of the regulated sectors in Romania,
under conditions of efficiency, safety, competition and transparency. Through these
regulations it was aimed to ensure a non-discriminatory treatment for the participants to the
market, as well as consumers' protection and environmental protection.
The liberalization of the sectors must attract new actors on the market and finally lead to lower
prices for consumers. In view of the harmonization with the acquis communautaire, during
2005 the legislation regarding the regulated sectors was modified, thus ensuring the necessary
conditions for the continuation of the liberalization of these sectors.

4.1. Communications

According to the commitments undertaken in the framework of the World Trade Organization - the
Agreement on Telecommunications all restrictions regarding the entrance on the telephony
market were withdrawn so that Romania opened its market towards foreign telecommunications
companies.
In view of increasing competition on the markets in the telecommunications field, National
Regulatory Agency for Communications (ANRC) actively participated in the adoption of the
secondary legislation and to the implementation measures of the primary and secondary legislation.
In order to ensure the interoperability of the networks and electronic communications services,
on the basis of principles of economic efficiency, promotion of competition and maximization of
final users' benefits, ANRC imposed to SC Romtelecom SA (operator with significant power on
the market of access to public networks of fixed telephony, in view of originating, ending, and
transiting calls and also on the market of services of rented lines terminal segments) obligations
for: transparency, non-discrimination, separate book-keeping, supply of some services, granting
access to certain facilities, grounding the fares according to the costs.
ANRC completed the negotiation and implementation procedure of the agreements to supply the
unconditional access to the local loop.
In accordance with the international practices, ANRC established that the tariffs for ending the

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 apelurilor n reelele Mobifon i Orange vor fi determinate pe baza unui model hibrid, dezvoltat n
urma reconcilierii modelelor de calculaie a costurilor incrementale pe termen lung dezvoltate de
ctre operatori (modelul de tip top-down) i, respectiv de ctre ANRC (modelul de tip bottom-up).
Pe baza concluziilor analizelor de pia, ANRC a desemnat, n anul 2004, SC Romtelecom
SA ca furnizor cu putere semnificativ pe 9 din cele 10 piee identificate.
n urma desemnrii ca furnizor cu putere semnificativ pe cele 10 piee relevante specifice cu
amnuntul, ANRC a impus SC Romtelecom SA obligaii corespunztoare n conformitate cu
dispoziiile art.15 i 18 din Legea nr. 304/2003 pentru serviciul universal i drepturile
utilizatorilor cu privire la reelele i serviciile de comunicaii electronice.

4.2. Servicii potale

Prin eliminarea barierelor existente la intrarea pe pia (n acest moment fiind necesar
doar o notificare ctre ANRC pentru ca o companie s poat furniza servicii potale), a fost
facilitat dezvoltarea pieei serviciilor potale. n prezent, pe piaa serviciilor potale funcioneaz
170 de furnizori autorizai; Compania Naional Pota Romn este singurul furnizor care
deine licen individual pentru furnizarea serviciilor din sfera serviciului universal, fiind
desemnat i furnizor de serviciu universal.
Cu toate c activitatea potal nu presupune n mod necesar o infrastructur proprie,
majoritatea furnizorilor prefer s presteze servicii prin propriile reele potale. n anul 2005, a
fost remarcat o cretere a numrului furnizorilor care lucreaz n parteneriat cu ali furnizori
autorizai. Din numrul total al furnizorilor autorizai, 162 furnizeaz servicii potale numai prin
reeaua proprie de distribuie, 23 utilizeaz att reeaua proprie ct i reeaua unui ter autorizat
i 26 utilizeaz strict reeaua unui ter autorizat.

4.3. Energie

Atenia special de care trebuie s se bucure domeniul energiei, rezult din importana
pentru ntreaga economie, precum i din necesitatea respectrii prevederilor negociate cu UE.
Obiectivele strategice din domeniul energiei au n vedere:
obinerea unei competitiviti reale n domeniul energetic;
mbuntirea cadrului instituional;
eliminarea distorsiunilor care afecteaz concurena pe pia.

Deschiderea pieei energiei creeaz premisele unei concurene reale, a unor servicii mai
bune i a unor preuri stabilite de regulile pieei, oferind posibilitatea oricrui consumator de a
deveni eligibil i de a negocia preurile, condiiile de livrare, inclusiv referina n valut a
preului. Totodat, sistemul de preuri i tarife a fost reformat, n contextul liberalizrii pieei
interne, urmrindu-se eliminarea subveniilor ncruciate dintre diversele categorii de
consumatori i implementarea unui nou sistem, care s reflecte costurile efective i care s
stimuleze investiiile din sector.

4.4. Gaze naturale

n domeniul gazelor naturale s-a completat cadrul legislativ n scopul ncheierii procesului
de armonizare cu reglementrile comunitare. n vederea accelerrii transpunerii reglementrilor
europene n legislaia intern i redefinirii atribuiilor autoritilor publice, n scopul adaptrii la
noile forme de colaborare cu structurile Uniunii Europene, s-a impus modificarea n regim de
urgen a Legii gazelor nr. 351/2004.
Astfel, a fost adoptat Ordonana de Urgen a Guvernului nr. 116 din 14 iulie 2005
pentru modificarea Legii gazelor nr.351/2004, aprobat prin Legea nr.288/2005.

88
calls in Mobifon and Orange networks will be determined on the basis of a hybrid model, resulted
from the reconciliation of two methods to calculate the incremental costs on the long term, one by
the operators (top-down model) and, another one by ANRC (bottom-up model).
Based on the conclusions of the market analysis, ANRC assigned, in 2004, SC Romtelecom SA as
supplier with significant power on 9 out of 10 identified markets.
As a result of the assignment as supplier with significant power on the 10 relevant retailing
markets, ANRC imposed to SC Romtelecom SA the corresponding obligations in accordance with
art.15 and 18 of Law no. 304/2003 for universal service and users' rights regarding the
networks and the electronic communication services.

4.2. Postal services

Through the elimination of the entry barriers on the market (at the moment just a notification
towards ANRC is required in order for a company to provide postal services), the development of
the postal services market was facilitated. Currently there are 170 authorized providers on the
postal services market; the National Company Romanian Post is the only provider with an
individual license for providing universal services, thus being the designated universal service
provider.
Although the postal activity does not necessarily suppose its own infrastructure, the majority of
providers prefer to use their own postal networks. In 2005, it was noted an increase of the
operators' number working in partnership with other authorized providers. From the total number
of authorized providers, 162 are providing postal services only through their own distribution
network, 23 are using both their own network and the network of an authorized third party, and
26 are using strictly the network of an authorized third party.

4.3. Energy

The special attention from which the energy field should benefit results from the importance for
the entire economy as well as from the necessity to observe the provisions negotiated with the EU.
The strategic objectives in the energy field aim:
To obtain real competition in the energy field;
To improve the institutional framework;
To eliminate distortions that affect competition on the market.

The opening of the energy market creates the premises for real competition, for better
services and for prices established by the rules of market, thus offering to any consumer the
possibility to become eligible and to negotiate prices, delivery conditions, including the
currency reference of the price. At the same time, the system of prices and tariffs has been
reformed in the framework of the liberalization of the domestic market, aiming at the elimination of
crossed subsidies among the various categories of consumers and the implementation of a new
system, which reflects the effective prices and will stimulate the investments in this sector.

4.4. Natural gas

In the field of natural gas, the legislative framework has been completed in order to finalize the
harmonization process with the European regulations. In view of accelerating the transposition of
the European regulations in the domestic legislation and of redefining the attributions of public
authorities, in order to adapt to the new forms of collaboration with the European Union's
structures, the Gas Law no. 351/2004 had to be urgently modified.
Therefore, the Governmental Emergency Ordinance no. 116 of 14 July 2005 for the modification
of Gas Law no. 351/2004, approved by Law no. 288 /2005 was adopted.

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 Procesul de dezvoltare a mediului concurenial i de continuare a liberalizrii pieei interne
a gazelor naturale, n anul 2005, a presupus:
Respectarea ferm a programului de deschidere a pieei interne a gazelor naturale;
Organizarea unei noi sesiuni de acreditare/reconfirmare a consumatorilor eligibili de gaze
naturale pentru anul 2005.

n prezent, pe piaa gazelor naturale exist att operatori economici cu capital integral de stat, ct
i cu capital integral sau majoritar privat sau cu capital mixt.
n funcie de activitatea desfurat, pe aceast pia se regsesc:
- 1 operator al sistemului naional de transport al gazelor naturale;
- 4 productori;
- 3 operatori pentru depozitele de nmagazinare subteran;
- 28 operatori de distribuie;
- 51 de furnizori pe piaa intern.

4.5. Energie electrica

n anul 2005 n cadrul procesului de armonizare a

legislaiei din domeniul energiei electrice cu reglementrile
comunitare, n perspectiva aderrii Romniei la Uniunea
European, a fost iniiat un amplu proces de reform a
reglementrilor din domeniu, concomitent cu implementarea
unei politici de liberalizare, n vederea exercitrii unei concurene
corecte pe acele piee unde acest lucru este posibil.

n anul 2005, pe piaa de energie electric din Romnia

activau un numr de:
- 63 productori (dintre care 22 pe piaa angro, 5
dintre acetia realiznd i activitatea de furnizare
ctre consumatori eligibili);
- 38 furnizori (din 110 titulari de licen de furnizare a
energiei electrice);
- un operator de transport i de sistem;
- 8 operatori de distribuie, care sunt totodat
furnizorii implicii ai consumatorilor captivi.

Evoluia cadrului legal n anul 2005 n aceste sectoare eseniale pentru

Romnia, a demonstrat continuarea deschiderii spre liberalizare a sectoarelor
reglementate i dezvoltarea pieelor.

90
The process of developing the competition environment and continuing the liberalization of the
domestic market of natural gas, in 2005, implied:
Strict observance of the program for the opening of the internal natural gas market;
Organization of a new session of certification/reconfirmation of the eligible consumers of
natural gas for 2005.

At present, on the natural gas market there are undertakings with total State capital, as well as
with controlling or total private capital or with mixed capital.
Depending on their activity, on this market one can find:
- 1 operator of the national system for natural gas transportation;
- 4 producers;
- 3 operators for the underground storing places;
- 28 distribution operators;
- 51 suppliers on the internal market.

4.5. Power energy

In 2005, in the framework of harmonization of the legislation in

the field of power energy with the European regulations, in view
of accession to the European Union, Romania initiated a vast
reforming process of the regulations in the field, at the same
time with the enforcement of a new liberalization policy, in
order to promote a fair competition on those markets where it
is possible.

In 2005, on the power energy market in Romania there were

active a number of:
- 63 producers (out of which 22 on wholesale
market, from which 5 are also suppliers towards
eligible consumers);
- 38 suppliers (out of 110 owners of license to
supply power energy);
- 1 operator for transport and system;
- 8 distribution operators, who are, at the same
time, suppliers for captive consumers.

The evolution of the legal framework in 2005 in these essential sectors for
Romania demonstrated the continuation of the opening towards the
liberalization of the regulated sectors and the development of the markets.

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 Capitolul

5
PROMOVAREA
CULTURII CONCURENEI

Promovarea culturii concurenei a constituit pentru autoritatea de

concuren una dintre prioritile anului 2005, innd seama de implicaiile
acesteia n dezvoltarea economiei de pia funcional n Romnia.
Principalul obiectiv al promovrii culturii concurenei -
cunoaterea i respectarea regulilor ce guverneaz concurena i
ajutorul de stat - a vizat contientizarea participanilor la viaa economic
cu privire la crearea i meninerea unui mediu concurenial real.
Pentru realizarea acestui obiectiv, Consiliul Concurenei a organizat
numeroase seminarii, conferine i mese rotunde, inclusiv n cadrul unor
trguri i expoziii. Au fost publicate diverse materiale pentru diseminarea
legislaiei specifice i a fost intensificat dialogul cu autoritile publice,
reprezentani ai mediului judectoresc, cu operatorii economici i nu n
ultimul rnd cu mass-media.
Aciunile de promovare a culturii concurenei au condus la perceperea,
ntr-o msur tot mai mare, de ctre mediul de afaceri a rolului proactiv al
autoritii de concuren ntr-o economie de pia.

5.1.Seminarii, conferine, mese rotunde, ntlniri

Reprezentani ai autoritii de concuren au participat la 235 aciuni de

promovare a culturii concurenei, din care 158 au fost organizate de
ctre Consiliul Concurenei.

Fig.18 - Aciuni de promovarea culturii concurenei

Comparativ cu anul 2004, n anul 2005 numrul aciunilor de

promovare a culturii concurenei organizate de Consiliul Concurenei a
crescut de 6 ori, iar numrul acelora la care a participat n calitate de
invitat de 7ori.

Este de remarcat activitatea intens de promovare

desfurat de ctre Consiliul Concurenei la nivel regional prin
inspectoratele de concuren teritoriale.

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 Chapter

5
COMPETITION
ADVOCACY
Competition advocacy represented one of the priorities of the competition
authority for the year 2005, taking into consideration its involvement in
the development of the functional market economy in Romania.
The competition advocacy's main objective - the comprehension and
observance of the competition and State aid rules - envisaged the
awareness of the participants to the economic life on the creation and
maintenance of a real competition environment.
In order to achieve this objective, the Competition Council organized a
large number of seminars, conferences, round tables, inclusively within
the framework of some fairs and exhibitions, various materials were
published for the dissemination of the specific legislation. It was enhanced
the dialogue with the public institutions, the judiciary, the undertakings
and mass-media.
The competition advocacy activities led to the business environment's
increased awareness of the pro-active role of the competition authority in
a market economy.

5.1. Seminars, conferences, round tables, meetings

Representatives of the competition authority participated in a number of

235 competition advocacy activities, out of which 158 were
organized by the Competition Council.

Figure no.18 - Competition advocacy activities

Compared to 2004, the number of the competition advocacy activities

organized in 2005, by the Competition Council, increased 6 times, and
the number to which it participated as a guest increased 7 times.

Note should be made of the intense advocacy activity carried out by

the Competition Council at regional level through the territorial
competition inspectorates.

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 Au fost organizate un numr de 124 aciuni - ceea ce reprezint aproape 80% din totalul
manifestrilor organizate de autoritatea de concuren - cu sprijinul autoritilor locale, camerelor
de comer i industrie teritoriale sau al unor organizaii de la nivel local.

Promovarea culturii concurenei n plan regional n anul 2005, comparativ cu anul 2004,
este prezentat n figura 19.

Fig. 19 - Aciuni de promovare a culturii concurenei n plan regional

Numrul mare de aciuni specifice promovrii culturii concurenei derulate n anul 2005
comparativ cu anul 2004 a fost rezultanta dialogului direct cu instituiile publice locale, asociaiile
profesionale, agenii economici, concretizat n acordarea de consultan de specialitate n
scopul clarificrii unor probleme specifice legislaiei privind concurena i ajutorul de stat, precum
i aspectelor legate de implementarea acquis-ului comunitar.

n vederea contientizrii de ctre mediul de afaceri a importanei respectrii regulilor de

concuren i a familiarizrii acestora cu legislaia romneasc n domeniul concurenei i al
ajutorului de stat, cca. dou treimi din manifestrile de promovarea culturii concurenei au avut ca
invitai reprezentani din acest mediu.

n scopul dezvoltrii capacitii de implementare a acquis-ului comunitar n cele dou

domenii administrate de Consiliul Concurenei, reprezentani ai administraiei publice centrale
i locale au fost invitai la 79 aciuni, respectiv jumtate din seminariile organizate de autoritatea
de concuren.

Pentru judectorii i magistraii asisteni de la nalta Curte de Casaie i Justiie i

Curtea de Apel Bucureti, au fost organizate 20 aciuni de promovare a culturii concurenei, cele
mai multe mpreun cu partenerii germani i italieni din cadrul Conveniei de Twinning.
n cadrul dezbaterilor organizate au fost abordate teme privind: rolul i locul judectorilor romni
n perspectiva aderrii Romniei la Uniunea European; prezentarea unor cazuri, principii i
concepte din jurisprudena comunitar n materie de concuren i ajutor de stat, n scopul
pregtirii acestora n vederea aplicrii legislaiei comunitare modernizate.

Dintre seminariile la care Consiliul Concurenei a fost reprezentat, menionm:

Seminarul Concurena i ajutorul de stat, organizat de biroul TAIEX cu sprijinul

Camerei de Comer i Industrie a Romniei i a Municipiului Bucureti;
7-11 martie
Evenimentul s-a nscris n seria de manifestri intitulat: Sptmna legislaiei Pieei Unice n
Romnia. Seminarul a fost structurat pe dou seciuni: concurena i ajutor de stat.

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124 activities have been organized - representing almost 80% of the total events organized by the
competition authority - with the support of the local authorities, the Local Chambers of Commerce
and Industry or local organisations.
The competition advocacy on regional level in 2005, compared to 2004, is presented in
graph 19.

Graph no.19 - Competition advocacy activities on regional level

The large number of activities specific to competition advocacy undertaken in 2005 as compared
to 2004 was the result of the direct dialogue with local public bodies, professional associations
and undertakings, namely providing specialized consultancy with a view to solve issues specific to
the competition and State aid legislation, as well as issues related to the implementation of the
acquis communautaire.

In order for the business environment to be aware of the importance of observing the competition
rules and for it to be familiar with the Romanian legislation in the competition and State aid field,
approximately two thirds of the competition advocacy events had as guests representatives from
this field.

In order to develop the capacity to implement the acquis communautaire in the two fields
administered by the Competition Council, representatives of the central and local public
administration were invited to 79 activities, respectively half of the seminars organized by the
competition authority.

20 competition advocacy activities were organized for judges and assistant magistrates from
the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the Bucharest Court of Appeal, most of them
together with the Italian and German partners from the Twinning Project.
Some of the themes addressed during the debates were the following: role of Romanian judges in
the context of the forthcoming accession to the EU; presentation of cases, principles and
concepts of Community case-law in the field of competition and State aid, with a view to prepare
them for the implementation of modernised Community legislation.

Out of the seminars where the Competition Council was represented, we mention the following:
Seminar Competition and State aid, organized by TAIEX office with the support of
the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania and of Bucharest Municipality;
7-11 March
The event was one from the series of events named: The week of Single Market Legislation in
Romania. The seminar had two sections: Competition and State aid. Representatives of the

95
 Reprezentanii Consiliului au susinut prelegeri referitoare la legislaia n domeniul concurenei n
contextul romnesc, revizuirea legislaiei privind fuziunile i aplicarea legislaiei n domeniul
ajutoarelor de stat. La seminar au participat i reprezentani ai Ministerului Afacerilor Economice
din Germania, Curtea European de Justiie i Comisia European;

Seminarul european Perspective i responsabiliti ale mediului de afaceri

romnesc naintea aderrii Romniei la Uniunea European, organizat de ctre
Casa Europei Eurolink; 7 martie

Seminarul a tratat n mod special consecinele strategice i manageriale rezultate din punerea n
practic a acquis-lui comunitar privind Piaa Unic European. Obiectivul principal al acestei
aciuni a fost acela de a consolida rezultatele Conferinei Europene asupra Concurenei i
Competitivitii printr-o confruntare a situaiei Romniei cu experienele celorlalte ri din Europa
Central i de Est, n cadrul eforturilor de eliminare a barierelor privind libera circulaie a serviciilor
i mbuntirea liberei circulaii a capitalurilor;

Seminarul Creterea contiinei publice cu privire la politica de concuren. Rolul

Consiliului Concurenei din Romnia; 16-17 martie

Seminarul a fost organizat cu asisten UNCTAD, n colaborare cu Camera de Comer i Industrie

a Romniei i Municipiului Bucureti i a fost susinut att de experi internaionali n domeniul
concurenei i ajutorului de stat, ct i de experi din partea Consiliului Concurenei. La
deschiderea lucrrilor seminarului au participat domnul Philippe Brussick, ef Competition &
Consumer Policy Branch, UNCTAD, domnul tefan Popa, prim-vicepreedinte al CCIRB i domnul
Mihai Berinde, preedinte al Consiliului Concurenei. Aceast manifestare s-a bucurat de o larg
participare din partea autoritilor de reglementare sectorial, ministerelor i altor instituii i
organisme publice, ct i din partea organizaiilor non-guvernamentale, mediului juridic,
asociaiilor patronale, comunitii de afaceri i mass-media.

5.2. Participri la trguri naionale i internaionale

Consiliul Concurenei a continuat i n anul 2005 aceast form de promovare a culturii

concurenei prin participarea i organizarea de aciuni destinate popularizrii principiilor i
regulilor specifice domeniului concurenei i ajutorului de stat.
Astfel, au fost organizate, cu sprijinul Camerei de Comer i Industrie a Romniei, birouri de
informaii i consultan, n cadrul celor 10 trguri naionale i internaionale, dup cum
urmeaz:
6 - 9 aprilie, Trgul Naional de Turism, Bucureti;
11 - 14 mai, Trgul Expo Construct, Bucureti;
1 - 4 iunie, Trgul Internaional de Bunuri de Consum TIBCO, Bucureti;
14 - 15 iunie, Trgul mpreun pentru firmele din Constana;
9 - 10 septembrie, Trgul Internaional de Mobil, Bucureti;
22 septembrie, Trgul Internaional de Cosmetice, Bucureti;
29 - 30 septembrie, Trgul pentru ntreprinderi Mici i Mijlocii, Braov;
4 - 8 octombrie, Trgul Internaional Bucureti 2005;
18 - 22 octombrie, Trgul Internaional de Turism, Bucureti;
30 noiembrie, Trgul pentru ntreprinderi Mici i Mijlocii, Bacu.
Experi ai Consiliului Concurenei au oferit informaii privind legislaia romneasc n
domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat, armonizat cu acquis-ul comunitar, reglementarea
proteciei concurenei n Romnia, concentrrile economice, practicile anticoncureniale i
contraveniile sancionate de Legea concurenei. n perioada desfurrii trgurilor, Consiliul
Concurenei a organizat conferine n cadrul crora au fost prezentate teme de interes din
domeniu.

96
Competition Council held lectures on the legislation in the competition field in Romania, on the
legislation review regarding mergers and the enforcement of legislation in the State aid field.
Representatives of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Germany, the European Court of Justice
and the European Commission also participated to the seminar.

The European Seminar Prospects and Tasks of the Romanian Business

Environment before Romania's Accession to the European Union, organized by the
House of Europe Eurolink, 7 March

The seminar dealt, in particular, with the strategic and managerial consequences that resulted
from the enforcement of the acquis communautaire regarding the Single European Market. The
main objective of this event was to strengthen the results of the European Conference on the
Competition and Competitiveness by confronting Romania's situation with the experience of other
countries from Eastern and Central Europe, within the framework of its efforts to eliminate the
barriers regarding free movement of services and the improvement of free movement of capital.

Seminar Raising the public awareness on competition policy. Role of the

Competition Council of Romania, 16-17 March

The seminar was organized with UNCTAD assistance and in collaboration with the Chamber of
Commerce and Industry of Romania and Bucharest and was held both by international experts in
the competition and State aid field and also by experts from the Competition Council. Mr. Philippe
Brussick, Head of Competition & Consumer Policy Branch, UNCTAD, Mr. tefan Popa, Prime-Vice
President of CCIRB and Mr. Mihai Berinde, President of the Competition Council attended to the
seminar opening. This event had numerous participants, both from the sectoral regulatory
authorities, ministries and other institutions and public bodies, and also from the non-
governmental organizations, judiciary, employers' associations, business environment and mass-
media.

5.2. Participation to national and international fairs

The Competition Council continued in 2005 this form of competition advocacy, by means of
participating and organizing actions aiming at raising awareness regarding the competition
principles and rules.
Thus, information and consultancy offices within the 10 national and international fairs have
been organized with the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, as
follows:
6 - 9 April, Tourism National Fair, Bucharest;
11 - 14 May, Expo Construct Fair, Bucharest;
1 - 4 June, International Consumer Goods Fair TIBCO, Bucharest;
14 - 15 June, Fair Together for the firms in Constana;
9 - 10 September, International Furniture Fair, Bucharest;
22 September, Cosmetics International Fair, Bucharest;
29 - 30 September, SMEs Fair, Braov;
4 - 8 October, International Fair Bucharest 2005;
18 - 22 October, Tourism International Fair, Bucharest;
30 November, SMEs Fair, Bacu.
The Competition Council's experts provided information regarding the Romanian legislation on
competition and State aid, harmonized with the acquis communautaire, the regulations regarding
competition protection in Romania, economic concentrations, anticompetitive practices and the
contraventions sanctioned by the Competition Law. During the fair, the Competition Council
organized conferences where topics in the field were presented.

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 5.3. Constituirea Grupului de lucru
pentru promovarea culturii concurenei

Avnd n vedere importana deosebit a activitilor de promovare a culturii concurenei,

pentru a se realiza o mai bun coordonare a aciunilor n acest domeniu, n luna octombrie 2005,
a fost constituit la nivelul instituiei Grupul de lucru inter-departamental pentru promovarea
culturii concurenei. Acesta este responsabil de ntocmirea calendarului lunar al aciunilor de
promovare a culturii concurenei i de monitorizarea realizrii aciunilor propuse.

n cursul anului 2005, grupul de lucru s-a implicat n activiti de promovare a culturii
concurenei, mai ales prin redactarea i diseminarea publicaiilor periodice editate de autoritatea
de concuren. n cadrul grupului au fost elaborate materiale de prezentare a Consiliului
Concurenei, precum i a regulilor specifice din domeniile concurenei i ajutorului de stat.
De asemenea, Consiliul Concurenei a elaborat unele materiale pentru rubrica dedicat
concurenei, cuprins n Buletinul infomativ on-line al Camerei de Comer i Industrie a Romniei i
a colaborat la redactarea unor articole n care legislaia din domeniul concurenei a fost
prezentat de o manier accesibil publicului larg, n cadrul rubricii sptmnale Pe urmele
concurenei, gzduit de cotidianul Curentul.

5.4. Publicaii pentru promovarea culturii concurenei

Iniiat n luna mai a anului 2004, editarea Buletinului lunar al Consiliului a continuat i n
anul 2005. n paginile acestuia este reflectat activitatea instituiei n ceea ce privete aplicarea
legislaiei i aciunile ntreprinse pe linia integrrii europene, promovrii culturii concurenei,
cooperrii internaionale i relaiei cu mass-media.
Revista Profil:Concurena apare trimestrial i ofer subiecte de interes att din domeniul
concurenei i al ajutorului de stat, ct i teme din alte domenii prezentate de ctre colaboratori ai
Consiliului.
Buletinul de tiri comunitare elaborat sptmnal cuprinde nouti la nivel comunitar
legate de legislaie, decizii adoptate, precum i abordri ale Comisiei Europene n diverse cazuri
instrumentate.
Toate aceste publicaii pentru promovarea culturii concurenei se transmit la Guvernul
Romniei, Parlament, Banca Naional a Romniei, autoriti de reglementare, asociaii
patronale i se distribuie agenilor economici cu ocazia desfurrii de seminarii, trguri etc.
Totodat aceste publicaii se regsesc pe site-ul instituiei (www.consiliulconcurentei.ro).
Consiliul Concurenei a elaborat n luna noiembrie, n limbile romn i englez, dou
brouri de prezentare general a principalelor domenii de aciune ale Consiliului
Concurenei: concurena i ajutorul de stat.

5.5. Transparena

ncepnd cu luna aprilie, pe pagina de internet a Consiliului a fost introdus seciunea

FORUM, cu subdomeniile Concurena i Ajutor de stat, care ofer posibilitatea tuturor celor
interesai s-i exprime opiniile, sugestiile sau plngerile n legtur cu problemele specifice
activitii autoritii de concuren.

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5.3. The establishment of the Working group
for competition advocacy

Taking into consideration the importance of competition advocacy activities, in October 2005, the
Inter-departmental Working Group on competition advocacy was set up at institutional level,
aiming at a better coordination of actions in this field. The group is responsible for the drafting of
the monthly calendar of the competition advocacy activities and of the monitoring of the proposed
measures' implementation.

During 2005, the group has been involved in competition advocacy activities, mainly by drafting
and disseminating the periodical publications edited by the Competition Council (Monthly Bulletin,
Community news, Profile: Competition). Moreover, different presentation materials of the
Competition Council, as well as of the specific rules in the competition and State aid fields were
elaborated within the group. Also the Competition Council drafted certain materials for the
competition session within the on-line Informative Bulletin of the Romanian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry and cooperated for the drafting of certain articles presenting the
competition legislation to the public, within the weekly session On the path of competition in
Curentul daily newspaper.

5.4. Publications for competition advocacy

Initiated in May 2004, the publication of the Monthly Bulletin of the Competition Council also
continued in 2005. It reflects the institution's activity as concerns the enforcement of legislation
and the activities carried out in line with the European integration, the promotion of competition
culture, the international cooperation and its relationship with the mass-media.
The magazine Profile: Competition is published quarterly and offers interesting subjects both
from the competition and State aid field and from different fields presented by the Competition
Council's collaborators.
The bulletin Community news, weekly elaborated, includes news related to legislation on
community level, adopted decisions, and also news about the European Commission's
approaches in its various cases.
All these materials for the promotion of competition culture are submitted to Romania's
Government, the Parliament, the National Bank of Romania, the regulatory authorities, the
employers' associations and are distributed to undertakings at seminars, fairs, etc to which the
Competition Council participates in. At the same time, these publications are made available on
the institution's website (www.consiliulconcurentei.ro).
The Competition Council elaborated in November, both in Romanian and English, two booklets
for general presentation of the main fields where the Competition Council acts:
competition and State aid.

5.5. Transparency

Starting with April, on the Competition Council's website, the FORUM section was added, with
the subdivisions Competition and State aid, giving the possibility to all interested persons to
express their opinions, suggestions or complaints regarding the specific problems of the
competition authority's activities.

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 Preocupat de interesele consumatorilor, Consiliul Concurenei a pus la dispoziia
cetenilor o linie telefonic cu acces gratuit (telefonul verde - 0 800 800 267) funcional din
luna aprilie, prin intermediul creia inspectorii de concuren asigur asistena n domeniu.
Telefonul verde poate fi accesat n permanen, indiferent de zona geografic.

Ca instrument de promovare a culturii concurenei (advocacy) a fost utilizat n mod intensiv site-ul
instituiei www.consiliulconcurentei.ro. Acesta a fost reorganizat si reconfigurat att pentru a
facilita accesul la documentele oficiale ale instituiei ct i pentru actualizarea paginii de internet
n timp real.

Astfel, pentru a oferi o imagine operativ asupra activitii Consiliului Concurenei, alturi
de legislaia adoptat, sunt publicate toate deciziile, comunicatele de pres, buletinele de
informare, precum i alte documente destinate diseminrii informaiilor specifice domeniului, n
vederea promovrii culturii concurenei. Toate aceste materiale pot fi consultate, n orice moment
pe site, att n limba romn ct i n limba englez.

5.6. Relaiile Consiliului Concurenei cu mass-media

n era comunicaional, mesajul nu poate s-i ating scopul dect printr-o ampl
mediatizare. n acest context, preocuparea principal a Consiliului Concurenei n domeniul
relaiei cu mass-media a fost dezvoltarea i meninerea unei comunicri armonioase, avnd ca
prioriti informarea corect, oportun, onest i prompt a acesteia.

Acest obiectiv a fost ndeplinit printr-o mai bun comunicare cu toate instituiile
mass-media, realizat n cadrul unei relaii de parteneriat, prin asigurarea cu celeritate
sistematic i transparen a informaiilor privind activitatea Consiliului Concurenei. De
asemenea, au fost rezolvate cu maxim promptitudine solicitrile mass-media, innd cont de
informaiile publice disponibile.

n colaborare cu mass media au fost realizate o serie de articole i suplimente speciale,

cu tematic de actualitate n domeniul concurenei i al ajutorului de stat, publicate n cotidiene
i periodice cu acoperire naional.

Preedintele Consiliului Concurenei, domnul Mihai Berinde, a

acordat 77 de interviuri i declaraii de pres, a participat la 21
emisiuni de radio i televiziune i a susinut 13 conferine de
pres, cu ocazia desfurrii unor evenimente, dintre care
menionm:
vizitele oficiale ale delegaiilor Oficiului Federal al Cartelurilor
din Germania i Ageniei de Concuren din Croaia;
publicarea de ctre Comisia European a Raportului
comprehensiv de monitorizare;
ncheierea Memorandum-ului de colaborare cu autoritatea de
concuren din Turcia;
semnarea acordului de colaborare cu Autoritatea Naional
de Reglementare pentru Serviciile Publice de Gospodrie
Comunal;
Conferina Fin Media Mediul de afaceri, nainte i dup
2007;
videoconferina Bucureti-Iai-Bruxelles, cu tema Concuren i Ajutoare de stat;
desfurarea seminarului romno-ungar de la Satu-Mare;
conferina de pres cu prezentarea bilanului activitii desfurate de autoritatea de
concuren din Romnia n anul 2005.

100
Concerned with the consumers' interests, the Competition Council made available a free
telephone line for citizens (green line - 0 800 800 267), that is functional since April, through
which the competition inspectors provide assistance in the field. The green line can be
permanently accessed, regardless the geographic area.

The institution's site - www.consiliulconcurentei.ro was intensively used as instrument for

competition advocacy. The site has been reorganized and reconfigured in order to ease the
access to the institution's official documents, as well as to allow a real time updating of the web
page.

Thus, in order to provide an operative image on the Competition Council's activities, besides
adopted legislation, all decisions, press releases, information bulletins, as well as other
documents disseminating information in this field, are also published, in view of promoting
competition rules. All these materials can be consulted on a permanent basis on the site, both in
Romanian and English.

5.6. The relation of the Competition Council with mass-media

In the communications era, a message cannot reach its purpose unless it is largely promoted in
the media. In this context, the main concern of the Competition Council as regards its relation with
the media was the development and maintenance of a harmonised communication, having as
priority the correct, appropriate, honest and timely supply of information.

This objective was fulfilled by means of a better communication with all media bodies, carried out
within a partnership relation, through the permanent and transparent assurance of information
on the Competition Council's activity. Moreover, media requests have been promptly tackled with,
taking into consideration the available public information.

Certain special articles with topics of interest in the competition and State aid field were drafted in
cooperation with the media and published in daily and periodical newspapers with national
coverage.

Mr. Mihai Berinde, President of the Competition

Council, had 77 interviews and press declarations,
attended to 21 radio and TV shows and held 13
press conferences, occasioned by certain events, as
follows:
official visits of the delegations of the Federal
Cartel Office from Germany and the Competition
Agency from Croatia;
the publication of the Comprehensive
Monitoring Repor t of the European
Commission;
the conclusion of the Memorandum of
collaboration with the Turkish competition authority ;
the signing of the collaboration protocol with the National Regulatory Authority for Public
Services;
Conference Fin Media Business environment, before and after 2007;
videoconference Bucharest-Iai-Bruxelles, named Competition and State aid;
the Romanian-Hungarian seminar from Satu-Mare;
press release with the presentation of the activity carried out by the Romanian
competition authority in 2005.

101
 mbuntirea relaiei cu mass-media este reflectat i n creterea vizibilitii Consiliului
Concurenei, n special n presa scris. Acest fapt este esenial pentru ca instituia s-i
proiecteze imaginea n spaiul public de interes, care genereaz credibilitatea i ncrederea
publicului.

n anul 2005, activitatea Consiliului Concurenei a fost reflectat n 3.394 articole de pres, din
care 1.538 (83%) au avut ca surs Consiliul Concurenei.

La nivel regional, au existat 544 de articole n presa local cu referire la activitatea desfurat
de Consiliul Concurenei, iar reprezentani ai acestuia, din cadrul inspectoratelor de concuren
teritoriale, au participat la 146 emisiuni de radio i televiziune.

Fig.20 - Relaiile cu mass-media

Progresele nregistrate de Consiliul Concurenei n activitatea de promovare

a culturii concurenei au fost recunoscute de ctre Comisia European n
Raportul comprehensiv de monitorizare 2005. Opinia Comisiei
caracterizeaz cel mai bine efortul depus n acest domeniu de ctre
autoritatea romn de concuren:

[] Paleta larg de activiti a avut ca efect creterea reputaiei publice a

autoritii.

102
This improvement in the relation with the media is also reflected in the increased visibility of the
Competition Council, mainly in the written press. This is essential so that the institution may
project its image in the space of public interest, thus generating public credibility and trust.

The Competition Council's activity was reflected in 3,394 press articles, out of which 1,538
(83%) had as source the Competition Council.

At regional level, there were published 544 articles in the local press with regard to the activity
carried out by the Competition Council, and the representatives from the territorial competition
inspectorates attended to 146 radio and TV shows.

Figure no.20 Relation with mass-media

The progress registered by the Competition Council in the competition

advocacy activity was acknowledged by the European Commission in the
2005 Comprehensive Monitoring Report. The Commission's opinion reveals
the effort made in this field by the competition authority.

[] the large range of activities resulted in the increase of the authority's

public reputation.

103
 Capitolul 6

ACTIVITATEA CONSILIULUI CONCURENEI

N DOMENIUL INTEGRRII EUROPENE
I RELAIILOR INTERNAIONALE

6.1. Pregtirea pentru aderare la Uniunea European

O dat cu obinerea de ctre Romnia a statutului de ar n curs de aderare14, Consiliul

Concurenei a urmrit cu i mai mult atenie i s-a implicat n ndeplinirea angajamentelor
asumate ce i-au revenit n vederea integrrii europene, dnd o nou dimensiune, calitativ, ntregii
sale activiti.
Progresele nregistrate s-au bucurat de o apreciere pozitiv, reflectat n Raportul
Comisiei Europene.

Evaluarea ncurajant a domeniului concurenei din ultimul Raport de ar a fost rezultatul

unui efort comun, care a antrenat Consiliul Concurenei i autoritile guvernamentale romne
responsabile cu implementarea legislaiei. n plus toate aceste demersuri s-au bucurat, pe
parcursul anului 2005, de sprijinul direct al Comisiei Europene, Raportul de ar reinnd
elementele care au asigurat aceast strns colaborare:
Mecanismul de pre-consultare n materie de ajutor de stat, instrument important de
asisten pentru mbuntirea practicii decizionale;
Mecanismul informal de consultare n domeniul antitrust, Comisia oferind ocazional
ndrumare pentru anumite probleme legate de aplicarea regulilor specifice;
Consultrile tehnice bilaterale;
Raportrile ntocmite de Consiliul Concurenei;
Vizita comisarului european pentru concuren;
Asisten acordat n cadrul Proiectului de Twinning.

Asistena tehnic acordat prin cele dou mecanisme amintite, contactele informale ntre
experii Consiliului Concurenei i cei din cadrul DG Concuren, au contribuit la mbuntirea
calitii deciziilor autoritii romne de concuren. Cooperarea demarat n cadrul celor dou
mecanisme de consultare a fost dezvoltat prin intermediul consultrilor tehnice bilaterale ce
au avut loc n permanen ntre reprezentanii Consiliului Concurenei i cei ai Comisiei Europene.

14
Prin semnarea Tratatului de Aderare, la Luxemburg, n 25 Aprilie 2005, Romnia a dobndit statutul de ar n curs de aderare. Pn n acel moment, Romnia avea
statutul de ar candidat. Totodat, Romnia a dobndit statutul de observator activ la procesul de elaborare a politicilor comunitare. n acest context, ara noastr a
trimis reprezentani la majoritatea reuniunilor organizate la nivelul structurilor europene, cum ar fi: Consiliul Uniunii Europene, Comitetul reprezentanilor permaneni-
COREPER I i II, Grupurile de lucru specializate din cadrul Consiliului UE, Comitetele i grupurile de lucru ale Comisiei Europene i Parlamentul European.

104
Chapter 6

THE COMPETITION COUNCIL'S ACTIVITY

IN THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

6.1. Preparation for the accession to the EU

Once Romania obtained the status of acceding country14, the Competition Council pursued much
more attentively and with a lot of professionalism to fulfill the assumed commitments in view of
European integration, giving a new qualitative dimension to its entire activity.
Significant progress was registered; it was positively assessed, and was reflected in the European
Commission's Report.

The encouraging evaluation of the competition field, from the last Regular Report, was the result
of a common effort, which involved the Competition Council and the Romanian governmental
authorities in charge with legislation enforcement. Moreover, these steps benefited from the
European Commission's direct support during 2005, the Regular report including the elements
that ensured this cooperation:
The pre-consultation mechanism in the state aid field, significant assistance instrument
for the improvement of the decision-making process;
The informal consultation mechanism in the antitrust field, the Commission
occasionally offering guidance for certain problems related to the enforcement of specific
rules;
Bilateral technical consultation;
Reports drawn by the Competition Council;
The visit of European Commissioner for competition;
Assistance provided within the Twinning Project.

The technical assistance provided through the two mentioned mechanisms and the informal
contact between the experts of the Competition Council and of DG Competition, contributed to an
improved quality of the Romanian competition authority's decisions. The cooperation started
within the framework of the two consultation mechanisms and was developed through the
bilateral technical consultations that permanently existed between the representatives of the
Competition Council and of the European Commission.

14
After signing the Accession Treaty, in Luxembourg, on 25th April 2005, Romania became Pre-accession State. Up until then, Romania had the status of candidate
country. At the same time, Romania gained the status of active observer to the process of elaborating the EU policies. In this context, our country sent representatives
to most reunions organized at the European level, such as: The Council of the European Union, the Committee of Permanent Representatives -COREPER I and II, the
working groups of the EU Council, the Committees and working groups of the European Commission and the European Parliament.

105
 Un rol deosebit de important n creterea vizibilitii
Consiliului Concurenei l-a avut vizita doamnei Neelie
Kroes, Comisar European pentru concuren, n
perioada 11-12 mai a.c. n cadrul acestei vizite s-a procedat
la un schimb de preri legat de modul de implementare a
practicilor i mecanismelor specifice n domeniului
concurenei i al ajutorului de stat, astfel nct Consiliul
Concurenei s se poat integra ct mai repede i n condiii
ct mai bune n reeaua autoritilor europene de
concuren. Totodat au fost abordate aspecte privind paii
ce urmeaz s fie parcuri n legtur cu aplicarea
msurilor menite s evite activarea clauzei de salvgardare i
amnarea aderrii Romniei la Uniunea European.

Monitorizarea angajamentelor asumate n cadrul negocierilor de aderare, realizat i

prin: consultri tehnice cu reprezentani ai Comisiei Europene, att n ar ct i n strintate;
participri la ntlniri pregtitoare ale Comitetului Executiv pentru Integrare European; ntlniri
ale Comitetului Consultativ privind practicile restrictive i poziia dominant; participare la cea de a
11-a reuniune a Comitetului de Asociere Romnia-Uniunea European, precum i la reuniuni ale
efilor autoritilor de concuren din cadrul Reelei Europene de Concuren.

Evaluarea activitii Consiliului Concurenei s-a realizat prin intermediul rapoartelor de

monitorizare asupra progreselor nregistrate, naintate periodic Comisiei. Raportarea s-a fcut
conform planului de aciune elaborat de Comisie i Consiliul Concurenei n care sunt cuprinse n
detaliu toate msurile pentru ndeplinirea de ctre autoritile romne a angajamentelor luate n
contextul negocierilor.

Documentele care au reflectat activitatea Consiliului Concurenei, au fost:

Planul de msuri prioritare pentru integrare european pentru anul 2005;
Enforcement record;
Planul de monitorizare Concuren i Ajutor de Stat;
Statistici ale deciziilor privind concurena i ajutorul de stat.

n vederea pregtirii Raportului comprehensiv de monitorizare, Guvernul Romniei a

transmis Comisiei, Raportul progreselor nregistrate de Romnia n perspectiva aderrii la
Uniunea European, document ce cuprinde i o seciune elaborat de Consiliul Concurenei
aferent progreselor obinute la Capitolul 6 - Politica n domeniul concurenei. n vederea asigurrii
actualizrii informaiilor cuprinse n acest document, a fost elaborat i transmis forului comunitar
i un Addendum ce acoperea progresele din perioada iunie-septembrie 2005.
O alt dimensiune a procesului de integrare european a reprezentat-o perfecionarea
personalului de specialitate (inspectorii de concuren) prin participarea acestuia la seminarii n
ar i n strintate, beneficiind de informaii privind abordarea internaional n domeniu.

6.2. Asistena PHARE

I. Programul Phare 2002 Sprijin n continuare pentru implementarea acquis-ului

n domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat

Anul 2005 a reprezentat finalizarea celor dou componente care au alctuit Programul
Phare de care Consiliul Concurenei a beneficiat ncepnd cu anul 2003. n acest sens, ultimele
activiti nscrise n calendarul Proiectului de Twinning i al Proiectului de Investiii au fost
implementate cu succes.

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The visit of Mrs. Neelie Kroes, the European
Commissioner for competition, on the period of 11-12
May, played an important role for the increase of the
Competition Council's visibility. During this visit, an exchange
of views regarding the implementation of specific procedures
and mechanisms took place, in order for the Competition
Council to be able to integrate itself as soon as possible and in
the best terms to the European Network of the competition
authorities. At the same time, the topics approached included
the steps to be made in view of enforcing the measures that
will avoid the safeguarding clause and the postponement of
Romania's accession to the EU.

Monitoring the commitments assumed within the

negotiation process, materialized though: technical consultation with EC's representatives , both
in the country and abroad; participation to the preparing meetings of the Steering Committee for
European Integration; meetings of the Consultative Committee regarding restrictive practices
and dominant position; participation in the 11th reunion of the EU-Romania Association Council;
meetings of the heads of the competition authorities within the European Competition Network.

The assessment of the Competition Council's activity was based on the monitoring reports,
regularly submitted to the Commission, regarding the achieved progress. Reporting was based
on the action plan elaborated by the Commission and the Competition Council that included in
detail the measures for the fulfillment of commitments assumed by Romanian authorities within
the negotiation context.

The documents that reflected the Competition Council's activity were the following:
The plan of priority measures for the European integration for 2005;
Enforcement record;
The Competition and State aid Monitoring Plan;
Statistic data on the competition and state aid decisions.

For the elaboration of the Comprehensive Monitoring Report Romania's Government submitted to
the Commission the Report on the progress achieved by Romania in view of accession to the EU,
document that includes a section elaborated by the Competition Council regarding the progress
related to Chapter 6 Competition policy. In order to ensure the updating of the information
included in this document, an Addendum that covered the progress registered in the period of
June-September 2005 was elaborated and submitted to the European Commission.
A different dimension of the European integration process was the training of specialized
personnel (competition inspectors) through their participation in seminars in the country and
abroad, benefiting from information on the international approach in the field.

6.2. PHARE assistance

I. 2002 Phare Programme Continuous support for the implementation of the

acquis in the competition and state aid field

In 2005, the two components that constituted the Phare program from which the Competition
Council benefited starting with 2003 were finalized. In this regard, the last activities included in
the Twinning Project agenda and in the Investment Project were successfully implemented.

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 Atingerea tuturor obiectivelor i nregistrarea unor rezultate remarcabile au fost posibile
prin derularea eficient i n termenele prevzute a celor dou Proiecte, anul 2005 fiind marcat
de o serie de realizri ce au contribuit ntr-un mod semnificativ la ntrirea capacitii instituionale
i la pregtirea profesional a experilor Consiliului Concurenei.

- Proiectul de Twinning Continuarea dezvoltrii capacitii Consiliului Concurenei de a aplica

acquis-ul comunitar n domeniul concurenei i al ajutorului de stat la standardele Uniunii
Europene

n anul 2005, Proiectul de Twinning i-a

orientat activitatea ctre finalizarea
urmtoarelor obiective:
Crearea i meninerea unui mediu
concurenial capabil s fac fa
presiunilor concurenei n cadrul pieei
interne, eseniale pentru creterea
economic i asigurarea bunstrii
consumatorilor;
Continuarea ntririi capacitii
administrative a autoritii de concuren
n vederea asigurrii unei aplicri
eficiente i transparente a acquis-ului pe
probleme de concuren (component
derulat cu reprezentani ai Autoritii de
Concuren din Italia) i ajutor de stat
(component derulat cu reprezentani
ai Ministerului Federal al Finanelor din Germania);
Promovarea activ a regulilor specifice de concuren i ajutor de stat n rndul
autoritilor publice, mediului de afaceri, academic, juridic, mass-media i publicului larg.

Experii strini a celor dou componente ale Proiectului de Twinning, Concuren i Ajutor
de Stat, i-au concentrat efortul n vederea sprijinirii Consiliul Concurenei pentru respectarea
tuturor recomandrilor Comisiei Europene i obinerea unor aprecieri pozitive n Raportul
Comprehensiv de Monitorizare din octombrie 2005.

Dintre numeroasele aciuni derulate pe parcursul anului 2005, deosebit de importante au fost:
- Asistena permanent acordat de ctre cele dou echipe de Twinning n procesul de
armonizare legislativ n vederea mbuntirii legislaiei primare i adoptrii de noi
regulamente i instruciuni.
- Pregtirea profesional a experilor Consiliului Concurenei a reprezentat una dintre
principalele preocupri ale Proiectului de Twinning. n acest sens, personalul de
specialitate al Consiliului Concurenei a beneficiat de un intens program de pregtire care
a constat n seminarii i dezbateri pe cazuri concrete, cu participarea unor experi din
Comunitatea European.
Pentru o ct mai bun nelegere a regulilor europene n domeniu i pentru mbuntirea
aplicrii acestora, au fost organizate vizite de lucru la Autoritatea de Concuren din Italia,
pentru oficiali i experi ai Consiliului Concurenei, cu participarea judectorilor implicai n
cazuri specifice. O importan deosebit a avut-o participarea unui expert al autoritii de
concuren la un stagiu de pregtire la Comisia European, n cadrul DG Concuren.
- Specializarea pe probleme concrete, n vederea mbuntirii capacitii de aplicare i
analiz a regulilor specifice, prin concentrarea resurselor ctre soluionarea celor mai
dificile cazuri.
n acest sens, Componenta de concuren a avut o valoroas contribuie prin elaborarea
unui set de documente prin care activitatea este prioritizat ctre acele comportamente
de pia cu efecte economice negative.

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Reaching all objectives and recording remarkable results were possible due to the efficient
enforcement and in time of the two Projects; the year 2005 was significantly marked by the
strengthening of the institutional capacity and professional training of the experts from the
Competition Council.

- Twinning Project Further development of the competition authorities' capacity to

implement the competition and state aid acquis communautaire to EU standards of
application

In 2005, the Twinning Project directed its activity

towards the finalization of the following objectives:
To create and maintain a normal competitive
environment capable to cope with the
competitive pressures within the domestic
market, essential for the economic growth
and the consumer's welfare;
To further strengthen the administrative
capacity of the competition authority in order
to ensure an efficient and transparent
enforcement of the acquis on competition
(component developed together with
representatives of the Italian Competition
Authority) and state aid (component
developed together with representatives of
the Federal Ministry of Finance from
Germany);
The active promotion of the specific
competition and state aid rules targeting at public authorities, the business and academic
environment, the judiciary, mass media and the public.

The foreign experts of the two components of the Twinning Project, Competition and State aid,
focused their efforts in view of supporting the Competition Council to comply with all EC's
recommendations and to achieve positive assessments in the 2005 Comprehensive Monitoring
Report.

Out of the numerous events carried out during 2005, the following are of an extreme importance:
- Permanent assistance provided by the two Twinning teams in the process of legislative
harmonization in view of improving primary legislation and adopting new Guidelines and
Regulations;
- Professional training of the Competition Council's experts represented one of the
main concerns of the Twinning Project. The specialized personnel of the Competition
Council benefited from an intense training programme that consisted in seminars and
debates on real cases, with the participation of EU experts. Study visits to the Italian
Competition Authority with the participation of judges involved in specific cases, for officials
and Competition Council's experts, were organized for a better understanding of the
European rules in the field and for the improvement of their enforcement. The participation
of an expert from the competition authority to the training stage at the European
Commission within DG Competition was of great importance;
- Specialization on concrete matters, in view of improving the capacity to implement and
analyze the specific rules, by focusing the resources to solve the most difficult cases.
To this effect, the Competition Component had a valuable contribution by elaborating a set
of documents through which the activity is directed towards that market behavior having
a negative economic effect;

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 - Promovarea politicii de clemen n scopul ncurajrii agenilor economici de a renuna
la nelegeri de tip cartel.
- Manualul dreptului ajutorului de stat n Romnia, elaborat de Echipa de Twinning -
Componenta Ajutor de Stat, care prin prezentarea legislaiei n vigoare i a cazurilor
relevante din UE, vine att n sprijinul experilor Consiliului Concurenei, ct i al
autoritilor publice furnizoare de ajutor de stat.
- Promovarea culturii concurenei i ajutorului de stat
Prin intermediul Proiectului de Twinning au fost organizate seminarii i schimburi de opinii,
adresate judectorilor, autoritilor publice implicate n cazuri specifice i mediului de
afaceri.
Au fost elaborate i distribuite o serie de documente i publicaii care au contribuit la o mai
bun nelegere a legislaiei i practicii n domeniu de ctre mediile interesate.

Un moment extrem de important pentru vizibilitatea Proiectului, a fost organizarea n data

de 15 iulie a Conferinei Finale a Proiectului, la care au participat Excelena Sa domnul
Jonathan Scheele - eful Delegaiei Comisiei Europene n Romnia, Excelena Sa domnul Wilfried
Gruber - ambasadorul Germaniei, domnul Mihai Berinde - preedintele Consiliului Concurenei i
reprezentani ai tuturor instituiilor i organismelor implicate n domeniul concurenei i ajutorului
de stat. Cu acest prilej, au fost subliniate rezultatele remarcabile obinute i s-a afirmat faptul c
nfrirea instituional s-a dovedit a fi cel mai eficient mijloc prin care o autoritate poate nregistra
progrese.
Proiectul de Twinning a fost un instrument necesar, ndreptat ctre dezvoltarea capacitii
administrative a Consiliului Concurenei i pentru o mai eficient implementare a acquis-ul
comunitar n domeniul concurenei i al ajutorului de stat la nivelul standardelor Uniunii Europene.

- Proiectul de Investiii Furnizarea de echipamente IT pentru organizarea electronic a

reelei interne, necesar eficientizrii activitii Consiliului Concurenei.

Proiectul de investiii a contribuit la ntrirea capacitii administrative a Consiliului Concurenei

prin dotarea cu tehnic de calcul performant i dezvoltarea unei aplicaii specifice n domeniul
concurenei i ajutorului de stat. Utilizarea acesteia ncepnd cu 1 iulie 2005 a fost susinut de
pregtirea inspectorilor de concuren prin sesiuni de training n vederea utilizrii optime a
echipamentelor.

II. Programul Phare 2004 Atingerea la data aderrii a unei capaciti

administrative i de aplicare a acquis-ului comunitar n domeniul concurenei i
ajutorului de stat corespunztoare unui Stat Membru

Comisia European a aprobat, la 15 iulie 2005, n cadrul exerciiului financiar Phare 2004,
un nou Proiect de Twinning, care sprijin n continuare Consiliul Concurenei n vederea
mbuntirii capacitii administrative.
Acest proiect are ca partener Autoritatea de Concuren din Italia, pe probleme de antitrust
i Departamentul Industrie i Comer din Marea Britanie, pe probleme de ajutor de stat.
Consiliul Concurenei are relaii de colaborare de peste 4 ani cu aceste instituii i cu aceast
ocazie, experii strini i-au manifestat nc o dat disponibilitatea, de a susine autoritatea de
concuren din Romnia, n ndeplinirea obiectivelor sale strategice.
Noul Proiect de Twinning se va desfura pe o perioad de 18 luni, ncepnd cu trimestrul II
2006, acoperind astfel, att perioada de preaderare, ct i post-aderare - momente importante
pentru integrarea i participarea activ a autoritii naionale de concuren n cadrul Reelei
Europene de Concuren i funcionarea la standarde europene.
Obiectivele Consiliului Concurenei n cadrul acestui proiect reprezint o continuare a
ultimului Proiect de Twinning, ncheiat n septembrie 2005 i se orienteaz spre 3 piloni principali:
armonizarea cadrului legislativ cu legislaia comunitar n domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de

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 - Promotion of the leniency policy in view of encouraging the undertakings to renounce to
cartel agreements;
- The Manual of the State aid Law in Romania, elaborated by the Twinning Team State
aid Component, that by the presentation of the legislation in force and of the relevant EU
cases, comes to support the Competition Council's experts and the public authorities that
are state aid grantors.
- Promotion of the competition and state aid culture
During the Twinning Project seminars and opinion exchanges were organized for judges,
public authorities involved in specific cases and for the business environment.
A series of documents and publications, that contributed to a better understanding, by
the interested environments, of legislation and the practice in the field, were elaborated
and distributed.

A very important moment for the Project visibility was the Final Conference organized on July 15,
to which participated H.E Mr. Jonathan Scheele Head of EC Delegation in Romania, H.E Mr.
Wilfried Gruber Ambassador of Germany, Mr. Mihai Berinde President of the Competition
Council and representatives of all institutions and organizations involved in the competition and
state aid field. With this occasion, the remarkable results achieved were highlighted and it was
stated the fact that the Twinning was the most efficient instrument by which an authority can
register progress.
The Twinning Project was an efficient instrument targeted towards the development of the
Competition Council's administrative capacity for a more efficient implementation of the acquis
communitaire in the competition and state aid field at EU standards.

- The Investment Project The supply with IT equipments for the electronic organization of
the internal network, necessary for the increase of the activity's efficiency within the
Competition Council.

The Investment Project contributed to the strengthening of the Competition Council's

administrative capacity by the endowment with data processing modern equipment and the
development of a specific application in the competition and state aid field. Starting with 1st July
2005, the use of this application was supported by the competition inspectors' training through
training sessions in order to use the equipments at high level.

II. The Phare Program 2004 Reaching an administrative capacity and

enforcement of the acquis communautaire in the competition and state aid field
adequate to a Member State at the date of accession

On 15th July 2005, the European Commission approved, within the framework of 2004 Phare
financial exercise, a new Twinning Project which supports the Competition Council to improve its
administrative capacity.
This Project has as partner the Italian Competition Authority, for antitrust component, and the
Department for Trade and Industry from the United Kingdom, for State aid component.
The Competition Council has maintained the cooperation relations with these institutions for
more than 4 years and, under these terms, the foreign experts showed once again their
availability to support the Romanian Competition authority to fulfill its strategic objectives.
The new Twinning Project will last 18 months, starting with the second semester of 2006, thus
covering both the pre-accession and the post-accession period - important moments for the
integration and the active participation of the national competition authority within the framework
of the European Competition Network and its functioning at EU standards.
The Competition Council's objectives within the framework of this Project represent a continuation
of the last Twinning Project, finalized in September 2005 and it is oriented towards 3 main pillars:
the harmonization of the legislative framework with the acquis communautaire in the competition

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 stat, promovarea culturii concurenei i perfecionarea profesional a experilor Consiliului
Concurenei.

6.3. Relaiile internaionale ale Consiliului Concurenei

n sfera relaiilor internaionale, una din principalele prioriti ale Consiliului Concurenei n
anul 2005 a fost ntrirea cooperrii att cu autoritile de concuren din State Membre sau
candidate la Uniunea European, ct i cu organizaii internaionale cu activitate i n domeniul
concurenei: Organizaia pentru Cooperare i Dezvoltare Economic (OCDE), Reeaua
Internaional de Concuren (ICN) i Conferina Naiunilor Unite pentru Comer i Dezvoltare
(UNCTAD).

6.3.1. Relaiile bilaterale ale Consiliului Concurenei

Consiliul Concurenei a acordat o atenie deosebit schimbului de informaii relevante, pe

probleme specifice, n acest scop ncheind Acorduri/Memorandum-uri de cooperare cu autoriti
de concuren din Frana, Portugalia, Croaia, Ungaria, Italia i Turcia.
n general, obiectivele acordurilor de cooperare ncheiate ntre Consiliul Concurenei i
autoritile de concuren sunt definite pe termen mediu i lung i prevd modul de cooperare
bilateral prin:
Organizarea de consultri periodice, att la nivelul conducerii, ct i la nivel de experi;
Intensificarea schimbului de experien;
Promovarea schimbului de informaii i furnizarea unor materiale documentare cu
relevan n dreptul concurenei (naional i comunitar);
Susinerea reciproc i promovarea aciunilor privind cultura concurenei la nivel
european i internaional.
Relaii de cooperare strnse au fost dezvoltate de ctre Consiliul Concurenei cu autoritile de
concuren din Germania, Olanda i Marea Britanie.

Italia

27-28 iunie: Conferina Balcanic pe Probleme de Concuren - Roma, Italia

O delegaie a Consiliului Concurenei condus de domnul Mihai Berinde, preedintele

Consiliului Concurenei, a participat la Conferina Balcanic pe probleme de concuren,
reprezentnd prima aciune a unui proiect finanat de Guvernul Italian prin intermediul Ministerului
Italian al Afacerilor Externe i derulat de Autoritatea Italian de Concuren (AGCM). Obiectivul
principal al acestui proiect l-a constituit realizarea unui schimb de experien n domeniul antitrust
ntre autoritile de concuren din Sud-Estul Europei.
La eveniment au participat reprezentani ai autoritilor de concuren din: Albania,
Bosnia-Heregovina, Bulgaria, Croaia, Macedonia, Romnia i Serbia-Muntenegru.
Pe parcursul evenimentului s-a procedat la un dialog deschis ntre participani, prin
intermediul cruia au fost analizate principalele diferene dintre legislaia i normele procedurale
antitrust, existente n fiecare dintre rile participante.
La finalul Conferinei au fost definite o serie de aspecte organizatorice privind cel de al
doilea eveniment al proiectului balcanic: Seminarul pe probleme de concuren, Bucureti,
octombrie 2005, adresat specialitilor din cadrul autoritilor de concuren din Sud-Estul
Europei.

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and state aid field, the promotion of the competition culture and the professional training of
Competition Council's experts.

6.3. The International relations of the Competition Council

Within the international relations area, one of the Competition Council's main priorities, in 2005,
was to strengthen the cooperation both with the competition authorities from the Member States
or candidate countries to the European Union, and with the international organizations that
activate in the competition field: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), the International Competition Network (ICN) and the United Nations Conference for Trade
and Development (UNCTAD).

6.3.1. The bilateral relations of the Competition Council

The Competition Council paid a special attention to the exchange of relevant information, on
specific issues, to this effect, concluding Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding with
competition authorities from France, Portugal, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Turkey.
Generally, the objectives of the cooperation agreements, concluded between the Competition
Council and the competition authorities are on medium or long term and stipulate the way of
cooperation through:
The organization of periodical consultation, both at high and experts level;
The intensification of the experience exchange;
The promotion of the information exchange and the providing with relevant documentary
materials on the Competition Law (national and EU);
The mutual support and the promotion of activities on competition culture at the European
and International level.
Close cooperation relations were developed by the Competition Council with the competition
authorities from Germany, Netherlands and United Kingdom.

Italy

June, 27-28: Balkan Conference on antitrust issues - Rome, Italy

A delegation of the Competition Council, headed by Mr. Mihai Berinde President of the
Competition Council, participated in the Balkan Conference on antitrust issues, which
represented the first action of a Project financed by the Italian Government through the Italian
Ministry of Foreign Affaires and carried out by the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM). The main
target of the project was the experience exchange in the anti-trust field among the South Eastern
European (SEE) competition authorities.
Representatives of the competition authorities from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Macedonia, Romania and Serbia-Montenegro participated in the event.
During the Conference, the participants carried out an open dialogue by which the main
differences between the legislation and the procedural rules on antitrust existing in each
participating country were analyzed.
At the end of the Conference, there were defined several aspects regarding the second event
of the Balkan Project: Seminar on antitrust issues, Bucharest, October 2005, addressed to
specialists from the SEE competition authorities.

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 25 octombrie: Semnarea Memorandumului de Colaborare dintre Autoritatea de
Concuren din Italia i Consiliul Concurenei

n perioada 27 iunie - 1 iulie 2005, o delegaie a Consiliului Concurenei condus de

domnul Mihai Berinde, preedintele Consiliului Concurenei, a efectuat o vizit de lucru la
Autoritatea de Concuren din Italia. Urmare a discuiilor purtate cu acest prilej, a rezultat
oportunitatea ncheierii unui acord de cooperare ntre cele dou autoriti.
Astfel, n data de 25 octombrie 2005 s-a semnat Memorandumul de Colaborare de ctre
domnul Antonio Catricala, preedintele Autoritii de Concuren din Italia i domnul Mihai
Berinde, preedintele Consiliului Concurenei.

25-27 octombrie: Seminar pe teme de concuren adresat experilor autoritilor

balcanice de specialitate, Bucureti

Seminarul a reprezentat al doilea eveniment al Proiectului iniiat de Guvernul Italian, n

cadrul cruia Autoritatea Italian de Concuren i Consiliul Concurenei au fost co-parteneri. La
acest eveniment au participat reprezentani ai autoritilor de concuren din Italia, Albania,
Bulgaria, Croaia, Macedonia, Serbia Muntenegru, Bosnia Heregovina i Romnia.
Participanii au avut prilejul de a efectua un eficient schimb de experien, fiind dezbtute
aspecte tehnice ale unor cazuri concrete de concuren. Seminarul a contribuit la ntrirea
cooperrii n domeniu ntre rile participante i la mbuntirea pregtirii profesionale a
personalului de specialitate.

Marea Britanie

14-18 martie: Misiunea de lucru a doamnei Julie EVANS, expert n domeniul

ajutorului de stat n cadrul Departamentului pentru Comer i Industrie din Marea
Britanie
Prin intermediul unei misiuni de lucru organizat la sediul Consiliului Concurenei, doamna Julie EVANS
a acordat asisten experilor Consiliului Concurenei, analiznd probleme referitoare la ajutoare de
stat acordate pentru industria cinematografic, cultur, zone defavorizate i ajutoare regionale. n
plus, doamna Evans a acordat sprijin n definitivarea proiectului Regulamentului privind ajutorul de stat
acordat pentru promovarea culturii.

iunie-decembrie: Misiunea de lucru a domnului John Emeruwa, director adjunct n

cadrul Departamentului pentru Comer i Industrie din Marea Britanie

n baza colaborrii bilaterale dintre Consiliul Concurenei i Departamentul de Comer i Industrie

din Marea Britanie, n perioada iunie-decembrie 2005, domnul John Emeruwa a acordat
asisten n domeniul ajutorului de stat experilor Consiliului Concurenei.

Oficializarea acestui Proiect a avut loc la data de 23 iunie 2005, cnd domnul Mihai Berinde,
preedintele Consiliului Concurenei i Excelena Sa domnul Quinton Quayle, ambasadorul Marii
Britanii la Bucureti, au semnat documentul oficial prin care guvernul britanic asigur asisten
Romniei n vederea ndeplinirii recomandrilor Comisiei Europene n domeniul ajutorului de stat.

Conform Termenilor de Referin, misiunea domnului John Emeruwa a avut urmtoarele

obiective: acordarea de asisten direct i permanent preedintelui Consiliului Concurenei,
direciilor de specialitate i experilor n domeniul ajutorului de stat, monitorizarea respectrii
recomandrilor i observaiilor Uniunii Europene, precum i elaborarea de propuneri cu privire la
consolidarea relaiilor romno-britanice n domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat.

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 October 25: Concluding the Memorandum of Understanding between the Italian
Competition Authority and the Competition Council

In the period June 27 July 1 2005, a delegation of the Competition Council headed by Mr. Mihai
Berinde, the President of the Competition Council paid a working visit at the Italian Competition
Authority. Following the discussions between the representatives of the delegations, it resulted
the opportunity to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding between the two authorities.
Thus, on October 25, 2005 the Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Mr. Antonio
Catricala - the President of the Competition Authority of Italy and Mr. Mihai Berinde - the President
of the Competition Council.

October 25-27: Seminar on antitrust issues addressed to the experts from the
Balkan competition authorities, Bucharest

The Seminar represented the second event of the Project initiated by the Italian Government,
where the Italian competition authority and the Competition Council were co-partners. In this
event, representatives of the competition authorities from Italy, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Macedonia, Serbia - Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania took part.
The participants had the opportunity to efficiently exchange the experience, being debated
technical aspects of certain competition cases. The Seminar contributed to the enhancement of
the cooperation among the participating countries and to the improvement of the professional
training of the personnel.

United Kingdom

March 14-18: Working mission of Mrs. Julie EVANS, expert on State aid field
within the Department of Trade and Industry, United Kingdom

Through the working mission organized at the premises of the Competition Council, Mrs. Julie
EVANS provided assistance to the experts of the Competition Council, by analyzing issues
regarding State aids granted to cinematographic production, culture, deprived areas and
regional aids. Moreover, Mrs. Evans offered support for the finalization of the Regulation
regarding the State aid granted for the promotion of culture.

June-December: Working mission of Mr. John Emeruwa, deputy director within the
Department of Trade and Industry, United Kingdom

Based on the bilateral cooperation between the Competition Council and the Department of Trade
and Industry from the United Kingdom, during June-December 2005, Mr. John Emeruwa
provided special assistance in the state aid field to the Competition Council's experts.
The celebration of this Project took place on June 23, 2005, when Mr. Mihai Berinde, President
of the Competition Council and His Excellency Mr. Quinton Quayle, Ambassador of the United
Kingdom in Bucharest, signed the official document through which the British Government
provides assistance, in order for Romania to comply with the European Commission's
recommendations in the state aid field.
According to the Reference Terms, Mr. Emeruwa's mission had the following objectives: to provide
direct and permanent assistance in the state aid field to the President of the Competition Council,
to the specialized departments and to the Competition Council's experts, to monitor the
observance of the European Union recommendations and comments, and also to elaborate
proposals to strengthen the British-Romanian relations in the competition and state aid field.

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 Germania

7-8 martie: Vizita oficial a delegaiei Oficiului Federal al Cartelurilor din Germania

Vizita oficial la Bucureti a delegaiei Oficiului Federal al Cartelurilor din Germania (OFC),
condus de domnul Ulf Boege, preedintele OFC a reprezentat un eveniment deosebit de
important prin intermediul cruia a fost realizat o intens promovare a politicii concurenei cu
implicaii asupra activitii internaionale a Consiliului Concurenei.
Vizita de lucru a inclus o ntlnire ntre delegaia german i reprezentanii Consiliul Concurenei,
precum i ntrevederi la nivel nalt cu reprezentani ai celor mai importante instituii din Romnia.

27 mai: Vizita doamnei Sigrid Selz,

Director General n cadrul Ministerului
Federal al Finanelor Publice din
Germania

Cu ocazia vizitei doamnei Selz, la sediul Consiliului

Concurenei a avut loc o ntlnire de lucru n vederea
efecturii unui schimb de opinii, referitoare la modul
de implementare a practicilor i mecanismelor
specifice n domeniul ajutorului de stat. Doamna
Selz i-a exprimat aprecierea cu privire la rezultatele
deosebit de importante nregistrate de Consiliul
Concurenei, subliniind necesitatea depunerii n
continuare de eforturi susinute n sensul
respectrii tuturor recomandrilor Comisiei
Europene.

iulie-decembrie: prin intermediul proiectului TAIEX Consiliul Concurenei a beneficiat de

asisten n domeniul ajutorului de stat

Asistena a fost asigurat de domnul Peter Schuetterle, director n cadrul Ministerului

Federal pentru Economie i Munc din Germania. Pe parcursul celor 6 luni, misiunea de lucru s-a
concretizat n: acordarea de asisten direct i permanent direciilor specializate n elaborarea
proiectelor de decizii din domeniul ajutorului de stat; identificarea schemelor de ajutor de stat care
urmeaz a fi adoptate, n vederea aplicrii acestora dup data aderrii; definirea rolului Consiliului
Concurenei dup integrarea n Uniunea European.

septembrie-decembrie: Program de asisten tehnic finanat din fonduri

bilaterale romno- germane Fondul pentru specialiti

Pentru o perioad de 3 luni, la sediul Consiliului Concurenei a avut loc o misiune de lucru a
unor experi germani n domeniul ajutorului de stat, n vederea continurii asistenei acordate prin
Proiectul de Twinning. Activitile concrete derulate prin prisma acestui Proiect, au avut ca scop
acordarea de asisten la locul de munc, n vederea mbuntirii calitii deciziilor i obinerea
unei evaluri pozitive de ctre Comisia European prin Raportul de ar 2005.

Frana

n luna februarie, cu ocazia vizitei oficiale n Frana a delegaiei Consiliului Concurenei

condus de domnul Mihai Berinde, preedintele Consiliului Concurentei, a fost semnat Acordul de
cooperare dintre Autoritatea de Concuren din Frana, reprezentat de domnul Bruno Lasserre,

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Germany

March 7-8: The official visit of the delegation of the Federal Cartel Office (FCO)
from Germany
The official visit to Bucharest of the FCO delegation from Germany, headed by Mr. Ulf Boege,
President of FCO, represented a very important event through which an intense promotion of the
competition policy was conducted, with relevance to the Competition Council's international activity.
The working visit included a meeting between the German delegation and representatives from
the Competition Council and high level meetings with representatives of the most important
institutions from Romania.

May 27: The visit of Mrs. Sigrid Selz,

General Director within the Federal
Ministry of Public Finance from Germany

With the occasion of the visit paid by Mrs. Selz,

organized at the premises of the Competition Council,
a working meeting took place in order to exchange
views regarding the implementation of practices and
mechanisms in the state aid field. Mrs. Selz expressed
her appreciation regarding the extremely important
results registered by the Competition Council,
highlighting the need to make continuous efforts in
order to comply with all recommendations of the
European Commission.

July-December: through TAIEX Project the Competition Council benefited from

assistance in the state aid field

Assistance was provided by Mr. Peter Schuetterle, Director within the Federal Ministry of
Economy and Labor from Germany. During the 6 months period, the working mission consisted in
providing direct and permanent assistance to the specialized departments for the elaboration of
draft decisions on state aid and for the identification of state aid schemes that will be adopted, in
view of applying them after the date of accession and in view of defining the role of the Competition
Council after accession to the European Union.

September-December: Program for technical assistance financed from German-

Romanian bilateral funds The fund for experts

For a 3 months period, a working mission of German experts in the state aid field took place at the
premises of the Competition Council, in view of continuing the assistance provided through the
Twinning Project. The concrete activities carried out through this Project aimed to provide
assistance on the job in order to improve the quality of decisions and to get a positive assessment
from the European Commission in the 2005 Comprehensive Report.

France

In February 2005, a delegation of the Competition Council headed by Mr. Mihai Berinde, the
President of the Competition Council paid a working visit at the French Competition Council. Within
the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Mr. Bruno Lassere - the President of

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 preedintele Autoritii de Concuren din Frana i domnul Mihai Berinde,preedintele Consiliului
Concurenei.
Bazele acestei cooperri au fost discutate cu ocazia vizitei pe care domnul Bruno
Lasserre, preedintele Autoritii de Concuren din Frana, a efectuat-o n Romania, n luna
octombrie 2004.
Obiectivele acestui acord de colaborare administrativ i instituional sunt definite pe
termen mediu i lung i prevd modul de cooperare bilateral ntre cele dou autoriti de
concuren.
Acordul de cooperare n domeniul concurenei este primul de acest gen, semnat cu o
autoritate de concuren Stat Membru i face parte din aciunile ntreprinse de Consiliul
Concurenei n vederea ntririi cooperrii internaionale, n special cu ri din cadrul Uniunii
Europene

n cadrul Acordului de cooperare dintre Consiliul Concurenei i Autoritatea de concuren

din Frana, n luna ianuarie 2005 doi inspectori de concuren au participat la un stagiu de
pregtire la Consiliul Concurenei din Frana.

Portugalia

O delegaie a Consiliului Concurenei, condus de domnul Mihai Berinde, preedintele Consiliului

Concurenei s-a deplasat la Lisabona - Portugalia, n vederea semnrii unui Memorandum de
colaborare cu Autoritatea de Concuren din Portugalia.

Documentul a fost semnat la data de 21 aprilie, de domnul Mihai Berinde, preedintele Consiliului
Concurenei i de domnul Abel M.Mateus, preedintele Autoritii de Concuren din Portugalia.

n cursul acestei vizite au avut loc ntlniri de lucru ntre experii celor dou instituii cu privire la
subiecte de interes comun din domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat.

Ungaria

Cu ocazia participrii preedintelui Consiliului Concurenei la Reuniunea privind concurena i

competitivitatea, organizat sub egida Centrului Regional de Concuren pentru Europa de Sud-
Est, cu sediul la Budapesta, n data de 27 septembrie 2005, a avut loc semnarea Acordului de
cooperare dintre Consiliul Concurenei i Autoritatea de Concuren din Ungaria (GVH).

Acordul a fost semnat de ctre domnul Zoltn Nagy, preedintele GVH i domnul Mihai Berinde,
Preedintele Consiliului Concurenei. Evenimentul marcheaz un moment important n
colaborarea dintre cele dou ri, prin punerea unei baze oficiale pentru aciunile comune ale celor
dou autoriti.

Unul dintre obiectivele acordului de cooperare administrativ i instituional l reprezint

asigurarea cadrului legal i organizatoric necesar colaborrii n scopul prevenirii i stoprii
aciunilor de natur s afecteze negativ concurena n Romnia i Republica Ungaria. n acest
scop, a fost creat posibilitatea cererii de informaii, precum i a consultrilor n legatur cu
situaii concrete (abuzul de pozitie dominant, nelegerile sau practicile concertate ntre agenii
economici) care conduc la restrangerea concurenei, att n Romnia, ct i n Ungaria.

La ceremonia de semnare a documentului oficial a participat i doamna Ireny Comaroschi,

ambasadorul Romniei n Republica Ungar.

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the Competition Authority of France and Mr. Mihai Berinde - the President of the Competition
Council.
The cooperation basis was discussed with the occasion of the visit of Mr. Bruno Lassere - the
President of the Competition Authority of France at the Romanian Competition Council in October
2004.
The objectives of the Memorandum are defined on medium and long term and stipulate the
bilateral cooperation manner among the two competition authorities.
The Memorandum of Understanding is the first Memorandum of this type signed with an authority
from a Member State and it represents one of the actions made by the Competition Council to
strengthen the international cooperation, especially with countries from the European Union.

Within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding concluded between the Competition
Council and the competition authority from France, in January 2005, two competition inspectors
participated in a training stage at the French Competition Council.

Portugal

A delegation of the Competition Council headed by Mr. Mihai Berinde, the President of the
Competition Council paid a working visit in Lisbon - Portugal in order to sign the Memorandum of
Understanding with the Portugal Competition Council.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on April 21 by Mr. Abel M. Mateus - the
President of the Competition Authority of Portugal and Mr. Mihai Berinde - the President of the
Romanian Competition Council.

During the visit, meetings between the experts of the two authorities took place and subjects of
common interest in the competition and State aid field were discussed.

Hungary

With the occasion of the participation of the President of the Competition Council in the Meeting
on competition and competitiveness, organized under the aegis of the Regional Center on
Competition for the South-Eastern Europe, having the headquarters in Budapest, the
Memorandum of Understanding with the Competition Authority of Hungary was signed on
September 27, 2005.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Mr. Zoltan Nagy - the President of the
competition authority of Hungary and Mr. Mihai Berinde - the President of the Competition
Council. The event represents an important moment as concerns the cooperation between the
two countries and, also, represents the official basis for the common actions of the two
competition authorities.

One of the objectives of the Memorandum of Understanding is to ensure the legal and
organizational framework necessary to prevent and stop the actions that could negatively affect
the competition in Romania and Hungary. Thus, it was created the framework to request
information, for consultations in concrete situations (abuse of dominant position, agreements or
concerted practices between undertakings) that lead to the restraint of competition in Hungary
and Romania.

Mrs. Ireny Comaroschi, the Ambassador of Romania in Hungary participated also in the
ceremony.

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 n baza prevederilor acordului de cooperare semnat, n luna
decembrie 2005 a fost organizat la Satu Mare primul
seminar cu tema Politica concurenei la nivel naional i
european, avnd ca scop promovarea culturii concurenei
la nivelul mediului de afaceri local.

Croaia

n data de 19 mai 2005, la sediul Consiliului

Concurenei a avut loc ceremonia de semnare a Acordului
de colaborare ntre Consiliul Concurenei din Romnia i
Agenia de concuren din Croaia.
Agenia de concuren din Croaia a fost
reprezentat de doamna Olgica Spevec, preedintele
Ageniei, domnul Milivoj Marsic, vicepreedinte i doamna Branimira Kovacevic, ef al
Departamentului de Cooperare Internaional.
La ceremonie au participat si domnul Zeljko Kupresak, ambasadorul Croaiei la Bucureti nsoit
de domnul Mario Martinovic, ministru consilier la Ambasada Croaiei la Bucureti.

Acordul de cooperare n domeniul concurenei ncheiat cu aceast ocazie este primul de acest
gen semnat cu o autoritate de concuren din statele candidate la Uniunea European i se nscrie
n seria de aciuni ntreprinse de Consiliul Concurenei n vederea ntririi cooperrii internaionale
cu autoriti de concuren strine.

Turcia

n luna decembrie 2005, la invitaia

preedintelui Consiliului Concurenei, domnul
Mustafa Parlak, preedintele Autoritii de
Concuren din Turcia, nsoit de domnul Sirac Aslan,
membru al plenului i domnul Yuskel Kaya, expert n
cadrul Departamentului de Relaii Internaionale, au
efectuat o vizit de lucru n Romnia.

Cu acest prilej au avut loc convorbiri n cadrul

crora au fost dezbtute aspecte care au vizat
extinderea cooperrii ntre Autoritatea de
Concuren din Turcia i Consiliul Concurentei i
totodat cei doi preedini au semnat
Memorandumul de cooperare ntre cele dou
autoriti.

6.3.2. Relaiile Consiliului Concurenei

cu organizaiile internaionale

Relaiile Consiliului Concurenei cu

Organizaia pentru Cooperare i Dezvoltare Economic (OCDE)

OCDE promoveaz politicile menite s contribuie la o extindere economic sntoas n

procesul dezvoltrii economice n rile membre i nemembre ale organizaiei i, totodat, la
extinderea comerului mondial fundamentat pe baze multilaterale i nediscriminatorii n

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According to the provisions of the Memorandum of
Understanding, the first seminar named The competition
policy at European and national level was organized in Satu
Mare on December 8, 2005, having as objective the
promotion of competition culture to the local business
environment.

Croatia

On May 19, 2005, a Memorandum of Understanding with

the Competition Agency of Croatia was signed at the
headquarters of the Romanian Competition Council.

The Competition Agency of Croatia was represented by Mrs.

Olgica Spevec - President of the Competition Agency of
Croatia, Mr. Milivoj Marsic - Vice-President and Mrs. Branimira Kovacevic - Head of the
International Cooperation Department.

Mr. Zeljko Kupresak, the Ambassador of Croatia in Bucharest and Mr. Mario Martinovic,
Councillor Minister at the Embassy of Croatia in Bucharest participated also in the ceremony.

The Memorandum of Understanding is the first Memorandum of this type signed with an authority
from a candidate country and it represents one of the actions of the Competition Council made to
strengthen the international cooperation, especially with foreign competition authorities.

Turkey

In December 2005, following the invitation received

from the President of the Competition Council, Mr.
Mustafa Parlak, the President of the Competition
Authority of Turkey, Mr. Sirac Aslan, Board Member
and Mr. Yuskel Kaya, case handler within the
International Relations Department, paid a working
visit to Romania.

With this occasion, discussions on several aspects

regarding the broadening of cooperation between the
Competition Authority of Turkey and Romanian
Competition Council took place. A Memorandum of
Understanding between the two authorities was
signed with this occasion.

6.3.2. The relations of the Competition Council

with the international organizations

The relations of the Competition Council with the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD)

OECD promotes the policies that contribute to the enlargement of a healthy economy in the
process of economic development of the member and non -member states as well as to the

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 conformitate cu obligaiile internaionale. Acest organism a devenit tot mai mult o int a
preocuprilor statelor nemembre de a accede la un statut care s le permit implicarea mai
activ n lucrrile diverselor structuri ale organizaiei. n contextul preocuprilor existente la nivel
naional, de dezvoltare i intensificare a relaiilor cu OCDE, Consiliul Concurenei i-a propus n
2005 ndeplinirea condiiilor de admitere ce urmau s fie stabilite prin Noua Strategie pentru
Non-membri, pentru a beneficia de statutul de Observator n cadrul acestui organism i grupurilor
sale de lucru.
Astfel, n luna septembrie 2005, Consiliul Concurenei n dorina de a se integra n
structurile de lucru ale Comitetului de Concuren al OCDE a naintat ctre acesta cererea oficial
a Romniei pentru obinerea statutului de observator. Apreciind pozitiv progresele Romniei n
domeniul concurenei, Comitetul de Concuren al OCDE a avizat favorabil cererea i a
recomandat Consiliului OCDE primirea Romniei ca Observator la lucrrile Comitetului de
Concuren OCDE.

Obinerea de ctre Romnia, la data de 15 decembrie, a Statutului de Observator, a marcat

un progres remarcabil obinut de Consiliul Concurenei n sfera relaiilor internaionale care va
face posibil participarea Consiliului Concurenei la toate activitile ce se vor desfura n
domeniul concurenei sub egida acestei importante organizaii pn la sfritul anului 2007 i va
contribui favorabil la intensificarea relaiilor bilaterale stabilite cu instituii similare de concuren
din rile membre ale OCDE.

n categoria participrilor permanente ale Consiliului Concurenei, pentru implicarea pro-

activ n activitatea acestui organism internaional consacrat ndeosebi rilor dezvoltate,
includem urmtoarele:
seminariile organizate de OCDE la Sarajevo i Viena;

activitile organizate sub egida OCDE n zona Europei Centrale i de Est, n cadrul unor
structuri ce sunt constituite i finanate de ctre statele Europei Centrale;
Astfel, n data de 26 septembrie 2005, preedintele Consiliului Concurenei la invitaia
Autoritii de Concuren din Ungaria, a participat la Conferina Politica concurenei i
creterea economic: Concurena - principal promotor al competitivitii i
creterii ntr-o economie dinamic, de deschidere a Centrului Regional de Concuren
OCDE, cu sediul la Budapesta.

la activitile organizate n cadrul Programelor Regionale:

- activitile iniiate de ctre Investment Compact, coordonate de ctre Divizia
pentru Concuren din cadrul Directoratului de Afaceri Financiare al OCDE, n
parteneriat cu autoritile naionale a unor state din regiune, n vederea realizrii
unor rapoarte regionale privind situaia mediului de afaceri i investiional, pe baza
crora s fie fcute recomandri, n vederea soluionrii eficiente a problemelor
existente i a dezvoltrii unui climat concurenial normal la nivel regional;
- reuniunile anuale ale conductorilor autoritilor naionale din regiune;
- cea de a 2-a Reuniune a Reelei Autoritilor Naionale de Concuren din
rile Europei de Sud-Est (SEECAN), creat n iulie 2004, eveniment organizat
sub egida Centrului Regional de Concuren OCDE de la Budapesta, n perioada
5-7 decembrie.
n cadrul acestei ntlniri s-au prezentat progresele din anul 2005 n activitatea
autoritilor de concuren, au avut loc dezbateri pe studii de caz i un workshop cu
privire la evaluarea performanei n stabilirea prioritilor i obiectivelor.

La propunerea Croaiei, care a asigurat preedinia SEECAN n 2005, Consiliul

Concurenei a fost ales n unanimitate preedinte al reelei, n anul 2006.
Aceast poziie necesit intensificarea implicrii instituiei noastre n
activitatea SEECAN, ca promotor i susintor al convergenei aplicrii
politicii de concuren i al progreselor obinute n domeniul concurenei n
regiune.

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enlargement of world trade grounded on the multilateral and non-discriminatory basis, according
to the international obligations. OECD became more and more a target for the preoccupations of
non-member states to reach a status enabling them to be actively involved in the workings of the
organization's structures.
In the context of the development and the intensification of relations with OECD, in order to benefit
from the observer status within the organization's working groups, the Competition Council
proposed itself in 2005 to fulfill the admitting conditions to be established by the new Strategy for
non-members.
Thus, in September 2005, in order to integrate itself in the working structure of the OECD
Competition Committee, the Competition Council delivered an official request for obtaining the
observer status. OECD Competition Committee has appreciated the positive progress registered
by Romania in the competition field and, consequently, favorably advised on the Competition
Council request and recommended to the OECD Council to accept Romania as observer at the
OECD Competition Committee.

The observer status obtained by Romania on December 15, 2005 represents the remarkable
progress achieved by the Competition Council in the international relations field. The observer
status shall enable the participation of the Competition Council in all activities to be undertaken
until the end of 2007 in the competition field under the OECD aegis and shall favorably contribute
to the intensification of bilateral relations with the competition authorities from OECD member
states.

The following activities represent the permanent participation of the Competition Council and its
pro-active involvement in the OECD activity:
the seminars organized by the OECD in Sarajevo and Wien;
the activities organized under OECD aegis in Central and Eastern Europe, within certain
structures financed by the Central European states. Thus, on September 26, 2005, the
Competition Council's President participated in the Conference on setting up the OECD
Regional Competition Centre, named the Competition Policy and Economic Growth:
competition - the main promoter of the competitiveness and development in a
dynamic economy, in Budapest;
the activities organized within the Regional Programmes:
- activities initiated by the Investment Compact, coordinated by the Competition
Division within OECD Financial Business Directorate, in cooperation with national
authorities from the region, to work out regional reports on investment and
business environment, based on which the recommendations are made to find
out efficient solutions of the existing problems and to develop a normal
competitive environment at regional level.
- annual meetings of the chairmen of the national authorities from the region;
- the 2nd meeting of the National Competition Authorities Network from
South-Eastern Europe (SEECAN), set up in July 2004, was organized under
the aegis of OECD Budapest Regional Competition Centre, in the period 5-7
December.
Within the meeting, the 2005 progress of the competition authorities were
presented, debates on case studies and a workshop on the assessment of
performances in establishing the priorities and objectives took place.

At the Croatia proposal, that has been to presidency in 2005, the Competition
Council was elected in unanimity to be to presidency in 2006.
This position requires the intensification of the Competition Council involvement in
SEECAN activity, as promoter of convergence of competition policy enforcement
and of the progress registered in the competition field in the region.

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 Relaiile Consiliului Concurenei
cu Reeaua Internaional de Concuren (ICN)

ICN reunete autoriti de concuren de pe toate continentele, att autoriti cu

experien i cu istorie ct i autoriti tinere, n special din rile cu economie n tranziie.
Consiliul Concurenei a transmis contribuia sa la panelul Participarea n cadrul Reelei
Internaionale de Concuren: ateptri i provocri pentru autoritile de concuren mai tinere
din cadrul Conferinei anuale ICN.
Preedintele Consiliului Concurenei a participat la lucrrile celei de a patra Conferine
Anuale ICN cu tema: Statutul de membru n cadrul ICN: provocri i sperane pentru Autoritile
tinere de concuren i a fost invitat s prezideze lucrrile acestei conferine.
Consiliul Concurenei i-a extins i intensificat activitatea n cadrul ICN, fiind membru n
urmtoarele Grupuri i Subgrupuri de lucru:
Grupul de lucru de implementare a politicii concurenei, organizat n:
- Subgrupul de lucru 1, avnd ca obiectiv eficiena asistenei tehnice;
- Subgrupul de lucru 2, care i-a mprit activitatea pe dou proiecte: intensificarea relaiei
dintre autoritile de concuren i mediul de afaceri i valorificarea experienei
autoritilor de concuren tinere - lecii nvate.
Grupul de lucru privind sectorul Telecomunicaii, avnd ca obiectiv identificarea i
analiza provocrilor impuse concurenei n acest sector de progresul tehnic;
Grupul de lucru pentru combaterea Cartelurilor, divizat n:
- Subgrupul de lucru 1 care abordeaz cadrul general privind cartelurile;
- Subgrupul de lucru 2, avnd ca obiectiv mbuntirea tehnicilor de aplicare a regulilor de
concuren pentru combaterea cartelurilor.
Reprezentanii Consiliului Concurenei au participat la teleconferine, i-au exprimat
punctul de vedere cu privire la materialele elaborate n cadrul Grupurilor de Lucru i au participat
la proiecte prin contribuiile scrise privind activitatea autoritii romne de concuren.

Relaiile Consiliului Concurenei

cu UNCTAD

Relaiile cu UNCTAD au fost meninute i pe parcursul anului 2005. Astfel, n luna martie
2005, Consiliul Concurenei a organizat n cooperare cu Camera de Comer i Industrie a
Romniei i a Municipiului Bucureti, cu asisten din partea UNCTAD, un seminar de promovare
a culturii concurenei cu tema Creterea contiinei publice cu privire la politica de concuren.
Rolul Consiliului Concurenei din Romnia. De asemenea, n luna septembrie 2005, UNCTAD i
Ministerul Dezvoltrii Economice din Azerbaidjan au organizat o conferin internaional la care
au participat i reprezentani ai Consiliului Concurenei. Experii Consiliului Concurenei au
contribuit la ntocmirea materialului suport al conferinei prin elaborarea unui document intitulat
Consiliul Concurenei din Romnia - Cadru legal i instituional de aplicare a legislaiei n domeniul
concurenei.
O delegaie a Consiliului Concurenei a participat la cea de a V-a Conferin UNCTAD pentru
examinarea aspectelor privind Principiile i Regulile Echitabile Convenite Multilateral pentru
Controlul Practicilor Comerciale Restrictive, eveniment desfurat n Turcia, n noiembrie 2005.
Aceast Conferin a fost o oportunitate pentru Consiliul Concurenei de a mprti, n prezena
reprezentanilor autoritilor din statele membre UNCTAD, experiena din domeniul concurenei
cu privire la tehnici de colectare a informaiilor privind cartelurile, rolul analizelor economice n
aplicarea politicii de concuren, precum i aspecte legate de rolul politicii de concuren n
contextul practicilor anticoncureniale care pot constitui obstacole n calea liberalizrii pieelor la
nivel global.

124
The relations of the Competition Council
with the International Competition Network (ICN)

ICN comprises the competition authorities from all continents, experienced and young authorities,
especially from states with economy in transition.
The Competition Council delivered its contribution to the panel Participating in the ICN:
expectations and challenges for young authorities within the ICN Annual Conference.
The Competition Council's President participated in the 4th ICN Annual Conference Member
status within ICN: challenges and expectations for young authorities and was invited to chair the
conference's works.
The Competition Council has enlarged and intensified its activity within ICN as member of the
following working groups and sub-groups:
Working Group on Competition Policy Enforcement:
- Working sub-group 1: the efficiency of technical assistance;
- Working sub-group 2 has two projects: the intensification of relations between
competition authorities and business environment and the capitalization of the young
authorities' experience- learn lessons.
Telecommunications Working Group: identification and analysis of challenges imposed to
competition in this sector by the technical progress
Working Group on Combating the Cartels:
- Working sub-group 1: general framework on cartels
- Working sub-group 2: improvement of the techniques for competition rules
enforcement for combating the cartels.
Within the ICN, the representatives of the Competition Council participated in numerous call
conferences, expressing their points of view on the papers elaborated by various working groups
and delivering papers concerning the Competition Council's activity.

The relations of the Competition Council

with United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

During 2005, the relations of the Competition Council with UNCTAD have been maintained. In
March, the Competition Council organized in cooperation with Chamber of Commerce and
Industry of Romania and Bucharest, with UNCTAD support, the seminar on competition advocacy
Raising the public awareness on competition policy; the role of the Romanian Competition
Council. Also, in September, UNCTAD and the Ministry for Economic Development of Azerbaijan
organized an international conference to which representatives of the Competition Council
participated in and contributed with the paper: The Romanian Competition Council - The legal and
institutional framework for the competition legislation enforcement.
A delegation of the Competition Council participated in the 5th UNCTAD Conference for examining
all issues on Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive
Business Practices, wich took place in Turkey, in November. This conference represented an
opportunity for the Competition Council to share its experience in information gathering
techniques in connection with cartels, the role of the economic analysis in the competition policy
enforcement as well as the aspects related to the competition policy role in the context of the anti-
competitive practices that might represent obstacles over the global liberalization process of the
markets.

125
 Capitolul

7
NTRIREA
CAPACITII INSTITUIONALE

n anul 2005, Consiliul Concurenei a acordat o atenie deosebit

consolidrii capacitii sale administrative n scopul creterii eficienei
aplicrii legislaiei n domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat la
standardele comunitare, prin recrutarea de personal i perfecionarea
celui existent. n cursul anului 2005 au fost organizate 2 concursuri n
urma crora au fost angajai 36 de inspectori de concuren.
Bugetul pentru anul 2005 a fost majorat cu 30%.

Capacitatea administrativ a Consiliului a fost ntrit i prin

dotarea cu tehnic de calcul modern care s rspund standardelor
impuse unei instituii de talie european.

O importan deosebit a fost acordat perfecionrii

profesionale a personalului propriu. Au fost organizate cursuri de
pregtire n domeniul IT la care a participat ntreg personalul Consiliului
Concurenei. De asemenea, n cursul anului 2005, au continuat
seminariile interactive intra i interdepartamentale, unde experii
instituiei au dezbtut probleme de concuren i ajutor de stat, precum i
cursul privind studiul limbii engleze, iniiat n toamna anului 2004.

Experi ai Consiliului Concurenei au participat la Cursul de formare

n afaceri europene pentru funcionarii publici din administraia public
central din Romnia, organizat de Institutul European din Romnia.
Programul de pregtire a personalului de specialitate a fost
ntregit cu participarea la numeroase seminarii, conferine, workshop-uri
pe teme de concuren i ajutor de stat.
n cadrul unui proiect organizat de Biroul Comisiei Europene
pentru Schimb de Informaii i Asisten Tehnic (TAIEX), n domeniul
ajutorului de stat, Consiliul Concurenei a beneficiat de asisten tehnic
de specialitate din partea domnului Peter Schuetterle, Director n cadrul
Ministerului Federal pentru Economie i Munc din Germania.

Aciuni la care au participat inspectorii de concuren:

Masa rotund cu participarea echipei de Twinning, Componenta
ajutor de stat i a unui membru n grupul permanent de experi n
subvenii i msuri compensatorii i avocat la Cleary&Gottlieb,
Bruxelles;
Stagiul de pregtire cu tema Politica n domeniul concurenei
n Uniunea European, organizat de Institutul de Administraie
Public din Dublin, desfurat n Irlanda i Belgia, n cadrul
programului de asisten n vederea aderrii;
Seminarul Guvernan responsabil i transformare
economic organizat cu sprijinul Institutului Naional de
Cercetri Economice, echipa de Twinning din cadrul proiectului
Phare Twinning n domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de stat i

126
 Chapter

7
STRENGTHENING
THE INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY

In 2005, the Competition Council focused itself on the consolidation of the

administrative capacity in order to increase the efficiency of the
competition and state aid legislation enforcement at the community
standards, by: recruiting new personnel and training the existing ones.
During 2005, two sessions for recruiting new personnel have been
organized by the Competition Council. Thus, 36 new competition
inspectors have been employed.
The 2005 budget was increased with 30%.

The administrative capacity of the Competition Council was strengthened

by endowment with modern IT equipment at European standards.

A special attention was paid to professional training of the personnel.

IT training courses for all Competition Council personnel were organized.
In 2005, the active intra and inter departmental seminars continued
to be organized, where the experts debated the competition and state aid
cases. Also, an English training programme developed in October
2004 has continued to be organized.

The experts of the Competition Council participated in a training

organized by the European Institute of Romania named Training in
European business for public servants from the Romanian public central
administration.
Also, the Competition Council's personnel were trained through the
numerous seminars, conferences and work-shops they attended.
Within a TAIEX Program, the Competition Council has benefited from
technical assistance in the state aid field provided by Mr. Peter Schuetterle
- Director within the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy of Germany.

The actions to which the competition inspectors have participated in are

the following:
The round table with the participation of the Twinning team - State
aid Component and of a lawyer from Cleary & Gottlieb, Bruxelles -
member of the experts group on subsidies and compensatory
measures;
The training stage EU Competition Policy, organized by the
Public Administration Institute of Dublin, in Ireland and Belgium,
within the Accession Assistance Program;
The seminar The responsible governance and economic
development organized with the support of National Institute for
Economic Research, Twinning team within Phare Twinning Project
and Europe University of Viadrina, in Frankfurt, Germany;
The seminar The privatization and competition organized by
OECD and European Commission within Competition Initiative for

127
 Universitatea European Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), Germania;
Seminarul cu tema Privatizare i concuren organizat de OCDE i Comisia European
n cadrul Iniiativei de concuren pentru Balcanii de Vest la Sarajevo, Bosnia
Herzegovina;
Seminarul cu tema Aspecte ale ajutorului de stat n contextul Fondurilor
Structurale, aciune susinut de ctre domnul Reimer von Borries, Consilier de Pre-
Aderare - Componenta Ajutor de Stat, domnul Paul Seggons, Consilier de pre-aderare i
domnul tefan Ciobanu, Director, Autoritatea de Management pentru Cadrul de Sprijin
Comunitar, cu participarea unor reprezentani ai Ministerului Integrrii Europene i
Ministerului Finanelor Publice;
Vizita de studiu la Autoritatea italian de concuren a unor reprezentani din cadrul
Consiliului Concurenei i a unor judectori cu atribuii n soluionarea cazurilor de
concuren, organizat n cadrul Proiectului de Twinning, Componenta Concuren;
Participarea la prima reuniune a Reelei Europene de Concuren pe probleme de control
al fuziunilor, Bruxelles;
Seminarul cu experi din cadrul autoritilor de concuren din Sud-Estul Europei, cu
dezbaterea unor studii de caz din domeniile telecomunicaiilor, serviciilor de pres i
transport, cazuri de cartel i aspecte teoretice privind dominana colectiv, abuzul de
poziie dominant i inspeciile inopinate.

128
 Western Balkans in Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina;
The seminar Aspects on State aid in the context of Structural Funds with the
participation of Mr. Reimer von Borries, Pre-accesion Adviser on State aid, Mr. Paul
Seggons, Pre-accesion Adviser and Mr. Stefan Ciobanu, Director, Managing Authority for
Community Support Framework and representatives from the Ministry of European
Integration and Ministry of Finance;
The study visit to the Italian Competition Authority of the representatives of the
Competition Council and of judges in charge with the competition cases, organized within
the Twinning Project - Competition Component;
The first meeting of ECN on merger control, in Bruxelles;
The seminar with experts from the South-Eastern Europe competition authorities focused
on case studies in telecommunication field, press and transport services, cartel cases
and aspects on collective dominance, abuse of dominant position and dawn raids.

129
130
131
132
133
 Anexa nr.3

Valoarea amenzilor aplicate

n perioada 2003-2005

- RON

ncadrare legal Anul 2003 Anul 2004 Anul 2005

Total, 2.679.360 8.590.423,5 159.753.749

din care:

Omisiunea notificrii 222.900 272.614,3 10.326.239,5

operaiunilor de
concentrare economic -
art.16 alin (1)

nelegeri ntre agenii 455.860 4.811.086,5 144.153.969,4

economici -
art.5 alin.(1)
2.000.000 3.506.722,7 -
Abuz de poziie
dominant - art.6

Alte nclcri: 600 - -

Amend cominatorie - - 5.273.540,1
Nerespectare condiii
decizie

134
Annex no.3

Value of fines applied

in the period 2003-2005

- RON

Legal provision 2003 2004 2005

Total, 2,679,360 8,590,423.5 159,753,749

out of which:

Failure to notify the 222,900 272,614.3 10,326,239.5

economic concentration -
art.16(1)

Agreements between 455,860 4,811,086.5 144,153,969.4

undertakings -
art.5 (1)

Abuse of dominant 2,000,000 3,506,722.7 -

position - art.6

Others: 600 - -
Comminatory fines - - 5,273,540.1
Non-observance of decision
conditions

135
 Anexa nr.4

CONCUREN

SITUAIA DECIZIILOR EMISE

n perioada 1 ianuarie 31 decembrie 2005

Total

1
Din care 5 decizii au fost i de sancionare pentru nclcarea prevederilor art.5 alin.(1), astfel:
- 3 decizii emise n urma investigaiilor din oficiu pe piaa cimentului, piaa serviciilor
publice portuare i piaa imobiliar (Deciziile nr.94, 95, 102);
- 2 decizii emise n urma investigaiilor complexe avnd ca obiect plngeri pe art.6 i
cererile de exceptare individual (dispens) pentru contracte de distribuie exclusiv n
cazul Colgate i Wrigley (Deciziile nr.124 i 224).
2
Din care 2 decizii au fost emise n cazul investigaiilor ca urmare a unor plngeri (Decizia nr.92 i 225)
3
Decizie emis n cazul investigaiei ca urmare a unei plngeri (Decizia nr.80)
4
Decizie emis n cazul SC Holcil (Romnia) SA (Decizia nr. 96/26.05.2005)

136
Annex no.4

COMPETITION

THE SITUATION OF DECISIONS ISSUED

in the period January 1st December 31, 2005

1
Out of which 5 were sanctioning decision for infringement of art.5 (1):
- 3 decisions issued following ex-officio investigations on cement, harbor public
services and real estate markets (Decisions nr.94, 95, 102);
- 2 decisions issued following the complex investigations further to the complaints
(art. 6) and individual exemption for exclusive distribution contracts in the case of
Colgate and Wrigley (Decisions no.124 and 224).
2
2 were issued in case of investigation opened further to the complaints (Decision no.92 and 225)
3
Decision issued in case of investigation opened further to a complaint (Decision no.80)
4
Decision issued in SC Holcim (Romania) SA case (Decision no.96/26.05.2005)

137
 Anexa nr.5

Controale efectuate
n cursul anului 2005

Nr. Numr aciuni

crt. ACTIVITATEA TOTAL
AN
CONTROALE AJUTOR DE STAT - TOTAL 6564
din care:
1. Verificarea actelor administrative emise de autoritile
administraiei publice locale (Consilii locale i judeene) 636
susceptibile de a conine ajutoare de stat nenotificate
2. Identificarea i supravegherea relaiilor financiare dintre 70
autoritile administraiei publice i ntreprinderi publice
3. Verificarea agenilor economici care au beneficiat de facilitile
prevzute de Legea nr. 332/2001 privind promovarea 167
investiiilor directe cu impact semnificativ n economie
4. Monitorizarea agenilor economici care au beneficiat de
scutirea la plat ctre furnizorii de utiliti a majorrii i 226
penalitilor de ntrziere n baza OUG nr. 37/2004 privind
msuri de diminuare a arieratelor.
5. Verificarea condiiilor de autorizare a ajutoarelor de stat
prevzute n deciziile Consiliului Concurenei i a stadiului 103
derulrii acestora
6. Monitorizarea ajutoarelor de stat de care au beneficiat agenii
economici care desfoar activiti n industria
autovehiculelor definite conform prevederilor Regulamentului 16
multisectorial privind ajutorul de stat regional pentru proiecte
mari de investiii
7. Monitorizarea agenilor economici care desfoar activiti n 3821
zonele defavorizate
8. Monitorizarea administratorilor parcurilor industriale i a 191
agenilor economici care activeaz n aceste parcuri
9. Monitorizarea agenilor economici care acioneaz n zonele 168
libere
10. Monitorizarea ajutoarelor de stat instituite prin OG nr. 11/1996 123
i OUG nr. 40/2002, autorizate de Consiliul Concurenei
11. Monitorizarea altor ajutoare de stat de care au beneficiat 1043
agenii economici

138
Annex no.5

Controls undertaken
during 2005

Actions
number
ACTIVITY
TOTAL
YEAR
CONTROLS ON STATE AID TOTAL 6564
out of which:
1. Verification of the administrative acts of the public local
administrative bodies (local and county bodies) that might 636
contain non-notified State aid
2. Identification and supervision of the financial relations
between public administration authorities and public 70
undertakings
3. Verification of companies that benefited from facilities provided
by the Law 332/2001 on promoting the direct investments with 167
significant impact in economy
4. Monitoring the undertakings that benefited from exemptions
from payment of increased value and penalties to utilities 226
suppliers based on GEO no.37/2004 on measures of
diminishing the arrears in economy.
5. Verification of State aid authorization conditions provided by the
Competition Councils decisions and of the decisions 103
enforcement
6. Monitoring the State aids granted to undertakings that operate
in the motor vehicles industry defined according to the Multi 16
sectoral Regulation on Regional State aid for large investments
projects
7. Monitoring the State aids granted to the undertakings with 3821
investor certificate that operate in the deprived areas
8. Monitoring the State aids granted to the undertakings that
operate in the Industrial parks and to the Industrial parks 191
administrators
9. Monitoring the State aids granted to the undertakings that 168
operate in free trade areas
10. Monitoring of State aids provided by GD no. 11/1996 and GEO 123
no. 40/2002, authorized by the Competition Council
11. Monitoring the other State aids from which the undertakings 1043
benefited

139
 Anexa nr.6

AJUTOR DE STAT

SITUAIA DECIZIILOR EMISE

n perioada 1 ianuarie - 31 decembrie 2005

DECIZII Total

Total decizii, din care: 80

80

n funcie de tip
Decizii de autorizare, total 66
66
Din care:
- decizii de autorizare 36
36
- decizii de autorizare condiionat 30
30
Alte decizii:
- decizii pentru msuri ce nu constituie ajutor de stat 8
8
- decizii de interzicere/recuperare 5
5
- decizii de stopare 1
1
n funcie de forma ajutoarelor de stat autorizate
autorizate 66
- scheme 66
5
- modificri scheme 5-
- alocri specifice 2-
- ajutoare individuale 2
59
59
n funcie de obiectiv 66
- dezvoltare regional 66
6
- restructurare 6
24
- IMM-uri 24-
- ocuparea forei de munc --
- instruirea angajailor --
- serviciu de interes economic general 33 -
- protecia mediului 1
33
- cercetare-dezvoltare 1
1
- dezv.i modernizare infrastructur aeroportuar 1
1
1

140
Annex no.6

STATE AID

DECISIONS
issued in the period January 1st - December 31, 2005

DECISIONS Total

Total decisions, out of which: 80

By decision type 66
Authorization decisions, total
Out of which: 36
- authorization decisions 30
- authorization decisions with conditions
Others:
- measures that do not represent State aid 8
8
- forbidding/recovering decisions 5
5
- stopping decisions 1
1
By State aid authorized 66
- schemes 66
5
- schemes modification -5
- specific allocation 2-
- individual aids 592
59
State aids authorized according to the objective 66
66
- regional development 6
- restructuring 24 6
- SMEs -24
- employment - -
- training -
-
- services of general economic interest 33
-
- environment protection 1
- R&D 33
1
- development and modernization of airport 1
1
infrastructure 1
1

141
 CONSILIUL CONCURENEI
Piaa Presei Libere nr. 1, sector1, 013701, Bucureti
www.consiliulconcurentei.ro; www.competition.ro
e-mail: competition@consiliulconcurentei.ro
Tel. cabinet preedinte: 318.11.98; 318.11.99
Tel. 405.44.24, Fax: 318.49.08