The National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) favors an economic agent, namely OPCOM, to the detriment of anyone else, is the opinion of Jack Cutişteanu, the general manager of Petprod. The assertion comes as a result of the release issued earlier this week, by the Romanian Commodities Exchange (BRM), which accuses ANRE of blocking the trading of futures derivative contracts on the energy exchange.

“I have read carefully the BRM release. ANRE denies them the ‘License for the market operator for electricity’, the trading stock exchange for electricity, for several years, without a clear reason explained. They are an exchange. It is true that by Law 123, OPCOM is the only trading platform indicated. Of course, this is an abuse. Today, when we have the EU Regulation 943 and Decision 944 that prevail over the national regulations, ANRE’s position is an unacceptable abuse to any other economic agent, a condemnable discriminatory behavior.

Moreover, Regulation 943 provides that the aggregator activity may be exercised by any natural or legal person. If the activity of BRM is completed as a stock exchange, which is legal, with the activity of aggregator, then ANRE makes a double discrimination. I cannot propose the BRM to go to the courts, but the Parliament’s Industries Committee intervention, to which ANRE is subordinated, is required. I am convinced that Mr. Iulian Iancu, the chairman of this commission, will judge this case without bias,” Jack Cutişteanu told Bursa.ro.

A BRM release sent to the media earlier this week accused ANRE of refusing to approve the use of derivative financial instruments.