Morocco’s Labor Union Proposes Fuel Price Regulation Bill to Protect Consumers

This bill aims to ensure the security of the national market in quantity and quality, while setting prices adapted to the budget of consumers and in the interest of the national economy, indicates the union, specifying that the law on the liberalization of prices and competition, promulgated on June 30, 2014, has shown its limits and has failed to protect the interests of the consumer against the speculation of fuel prices.

For the Confederation, the operators have taken advantage of the lack of fair competition in the hydrocarbon market to set exorbitant prices, the effects of which have been felt on transport costs, the prices of agricultural raw materials, basic products and the household basket. The bill therefore aims to protect the purchasing power of consumers and prevent the negative effects of high fuel prices, the union points out.

To read: Moroccan Gas Stations Urge Crackdown as Fuel Black Market Surges

In its proposal, the Confederation also recommended removing fuels from the list of liberalized products and giving the competent authorities the means for better regulation of fuel and petroleum product prices. In this sense, it suggested to the Ministry of Economy and Finance to set prices on a weekly basis and to put in place a monitoring system to sanction offenders. Thus, every Monday at midnight, a maximum selling price would be communicated to the public, depending on the cost of living.

It should be noted that the parliamentary group of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) also tabled a similar proposal in the House of Representatives at the end of December.