Higher resource prices
Other branches of business have also reacted unhappily with the new regulations and that is why Mars has collaborated with the European Cocoa Association, oil groups BP and Shell, and resource company Vitol to write the European Commission a letter to tackle the issue.
The new rules, which will be enforced in 2017 after they have to pass another vote, embody stricter rules for buyers and sellers of resource derivatives. Several exceptions currently used by large companies to limit risks in the financial market, will soon disappear. That means these companies will have to have more money available to keep their books in order. On the other hand, this means resource prices will increase, which will lead to higher consumer prices.
That is exactly why these companies feel they cannot be compared to other branches, like the banking sector. The overall feeling is that they are being punished because banks abused these exceptions to their benefit. Every company who has signed the letter points out the resource industry has never needed government assistance in the past.
