Assessing The Effectiveness Of Competition Policy In Romania Using Clusters And Distances Methods

For European competition policy, assessing the effectiveness of its enforcements turned out to be a problematic issue. Thus, it has proved to be difficult to assess whether the objectives are properly defined and subsequently the extent that these were achieved, whether the institutional and legal framework are well chosen and ultimately whether the actions of competition authorities produce the desired outcome as long as the performances of these institutions are not quantified in one way or another. Based upon clusters and distances methods this paper highlights the main disparities between Romania and other Member States regarding the perceived effectiveness of competition policy enforcement. Which seems to be obvious for Romania is the fact that it has the legal and also the institutional framework required to ensure a normal competitive environment, but unfortunately it is not credible and therefore is not considered as an improving competitive environment factor as long as its effects on the market are elusive for companies and consumers.