The Competition Council intensifies monitoring of fuel prices and implements monthly tracking amid fluctuations in the global market.
The Competition Council has announced new regulatory measures to keep up with the rapid increases in oil and its derivatives, transitioning to a monthly monitoring system for fuel prices instead of quarterly checks, to regulate how international price fluctuations affect the national market.
This decision comes at a time when global markets are experiencing severe disruptions due to escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which has directly impacted energy prices and related products, including plastics.
Given Morocco’s heavy reliance on imported fuels, particularly diesel and gasoline, the country faces direct challenges from these fluctuations, necessitating enhanced monitoring mechanisms to ensure no imbalances occur in the domestic market.
In this context, the Council has begun a series of meetings with wholesale fuel distributors as part of implementing previous commitments linked to a reconciliation agreement aimed at tracking international price developments and their reflections at the national level. An explanatory memorandum outlining the conclusions of these meetings is expected to be published.
The Council stressed that any change in local prices must reflect international market transformations in a balanced manner and within reasonable timeframes, considering the costs of supply and storage to ensure compliance with competition rules.
Amid ongoing pressure on global supply, the Council has decided to adopt an exceptional monitoring pace, encompassing all stages of the supply and distribution chain, in an effort to enhance transparency within the market.
The oversight will not be limited to the fuel sector; the Council confirmed it will expand its vigilance to other sectors, focusing on any unjustified price increases or profit margins, in addition to monitoring any practices that could disrupt competition, such as collusion between operators or abuse of a dominant position.
It noted that any developments inconsistent with international standards or actual costs will undergo rigorous analysis, either through regular monitoring mechanisms or by examining the annual financial results of economic actors.
Through these measures, the Council aims to enforce stricter discipline within the market and ensure consumer protection from unjustified price fluctuations during a period characterized by uncertainty in the international arena.
