The Competition Council was established by Competition Law no. 21 of 10 of April 1996, republished, with the subsequent amendments and completions. The Romanian Competition Authority started its activity on the 6th of September 1996 by drafting the necessary secondary legislation necessary for enforcing the Competition Law (no.21/1996), which entered into force on the 1st of February 1997.

As national competition authority, the institution enforces and ensures the application of the national and Community rules on competition.

At the same time, the Competition Council has the role of national contact authority on State aid between the European Commission, on one hand, and the pubic institutions State aid suppliers and beneficiaries, on the other hand.

The Competition Council has also the role of representing Romania in the relation with the international institutions on competition; moreover, it is responsible for managing the relation with the institutions of the European Union, according to the relevant provisions of the European legislation, and it cooperates with other competition authorities.

The activity of the Competition Council is fulfilling two main functions: a preventive one, involving the surveillance of the markets and of the respective market players and a corrective one, aiming at re-establishing and developing a normal competitive environment.

Therefore, the mission of the Romanian Competition Authority can be synthetically defined as to protect and to stimulate the competition on the Romanian market so as to develop a normal competitive environment, finally ensuring a better promotion of consumers’ interests.