Transcript Folie 1

FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Austria
Birgit Schwabl-Drobir
Session 4.
Promotion of Competition.
Independent Market Players.
FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Promotion of Competition (1)
• Rise transparency to foster competition:
Input of the Federal Competiton Authority:
- Periodical newsletter regarding the developments in the fuel market
- Various investigations on specific topics in that market:
intrastate price differentials; the formation of prices; market entries;
consequences of weekdays, public holidays and vacations on the fuel
prices; effect of recommended prices on prices in reality; development of
margins at fuel stations (differentiated between highway and non-highway
stations); etc.
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FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Promotion of Competition (2)
• Rise transparency to foster competition:
Input of the Ministry of Economics:
- Regulation concerning the time of fuel price increases:
price increases are only allowed once a day at 12 p.m.,
decreases are always permitted
- Electronic calculator of cheapest fuel prices nearby available in the Net:
price increases have to be reported immediately, price decreases within
30 minutes by every operator of a gas station
(implemented in August 2011)
Austrian Federal Competition Authority p. 3 / 11
FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Promotion of Competition (3)
•
Screenshot of the calculator:
insert location
select type
of fuel
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FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Promotion of Competition (4)
•
Screenshot of the calculator:
distance
(air line)
prices of the 5
cheapest stations
10 nearest gas stations
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FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Prospects for Independent Players (1)
•
In Austria, fuel prices are below the European average:
Average Net Prices per Liter for Diesel
January 9, 2012
€ 1.00
€ 0.90
€ 0.80
€ 0.70
€ 0.76
€ 0.71
€ 0.60
€ 0.50
€ 0.40
€ 0.30
€ 0.20
€ 0.10
Ireland
Poland
Slovenia
Austria
Romania
Bulgaria
United Kingdom
Hungary
France
Czech Republic
Estonia
Luxembourg
Malta
Belgium
Slovakia
Latvia
EU-27
Netherlands
Sweden
Germany
Lithuania
Italy
Spain
Cyprus
Greece
Denmark
Portugal
Finland
€ 0.00
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FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Prospects for Independent Players (2)
•
In Austria, fuel prices are below the European average:
Average Gross Prices per Liter for Diesel
January 9, 2012
€ 1.80
€ 1.47
€ 1.60
€ 1.38
€ 1.40
€ 1.20
€ 1.00
€ 0.80
€ 0.60
€ 0.40
€ 0.20
Luxembourg
Bulgaria
Poland
Romania
Slovenia
Cyprus
Lithuania
Spain
Malta
Latvia
Estonia
Austria
Hungary
Slovakia
Czech Republic
France
Netherlands
Belgium
Ireland
Portugal
EU-27
Germany
Denmark
Greece
Finland
Sweden
Italy
United Kingdom
€ 0.00
Austrian Federal Competition Authority p. 7 / 11
FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Prospects for Independent Players (3)
•
The number of gas stations is decreasing:
2,950
2,900
2,850
Number of
gas stations
2,800
2,750
2,700
2,650
2,600
2,550
2,500
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Years
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FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Prospects for Independent Players (4)
•
Nevertheless, there are prospects for independent players:
An example from Austria:
- As of 2009 a market entrant opens up gas station machines on
parking areas of a discount store, no service but low prices
- Incumbents nearby undercut prices to push the newcomer
out of the market
- With requests for information the Competition Authority controlled
for a consistent proceeding with antitrust law
- By now the newcomer is active in the market and responsible for a
lower fuel price level in the provinces in question
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FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Monitoring Independent Market Participants.
•
Periodical monitoring (via newsletter) and case-related monitoring
(via investigations) mainly by means of:
- Daily fuel prices from ~ 1.800 (~ 66%) gas stations provided by the
drivers association
- Price data of all 2.700 gas stations located in Austria as a result of
the electronic calculator (time series from August 2011 onwards)
New possibilities for analysis due to these data!
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FEDERAL COMPETITION AUTHORITY
Thank you for your attention!
Birgit Schwabl-Drobir
Austrian Federal Competition Authority
Praterstraße 31
1020 Vienna
Austria
 [email protected]
 +43 1 24508 315
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