Large energy consumers must be helped after the elimination of energy subsidies and I think we must come up with something that looks like state aid, is the opinion of the president of the Competition Council, Bogdan Chirițoiu.

“We would all like to buy everything very cheaply, but the state will not be able to subsidize it either. And energy costs money and it cannot subsidize it for everyone. I admit that I am more concerned about companies. We need to help large consumers, not small ones, that is, it is not the fact that they are large or small companies that matters, but how much the cost of electricity represents in the total costs. If you are a dental office, the cost of electricity is probably not that important. It is true that the drill runs on electricity and you have to keep the light on to see what the patient has, but if you are (the former – ed.) Sidex or Alro, the cost of electricity matters a lot there. In that area, if we want to keep our companies in the country, to pay taxes, to pay salaries, I think we need to find a solution there. So, with all the sympathy for consumers, of which I am one, I agree that we should help the poorest, but let’s also help “big energy consumers”, Bogdan Chirițoiu told Agerpres.

In his opinion, the European Commission will have to come up with a proposal in this regard, as there are other states that are asking for such help.

“The Commission must also come up with something. Obviously, they know the problem, we are not the only country that is asking for something like this, there are other states too. So, somewhere, I think we have to come up with something that looks like state aid, obviously. And, I think, with long-term contracts concluded with energy suppliers, maybe with some state support. You can make investments in contracts – these can already be done, but being long-term contracts, the state can come up with some support for them, like guarantees, to protect them a little from market fluctuations. And not only to protect them from fluctuations, but to also have a lower price, closer to what your competitors outside the Union have”, added the head of the competition authority.

The energy market may be functioning well, but that does not mean that energy will be cheap, and for economic competitiveness you need to have cheap energy, declared, a few days ago, the president of the Competition Council, Bogdan Chirițoiu, at a specialized event.

“This energy market may work well, but it doesn’t mean that energy will be cheap. For economic competitiveness, you need to have cheaper energy than we currently have in Europe, and then we get to industrial policy. We’ll see what the new Commission will do in this area, I see the new German Government which…obviously, Germany, being the main economic power, the main manufacturing power of Europe, needs cheaper energy to be competitive on international markets and, I repeat, we work for them, so if they are not competitive, we won’t have any work either. This is a problem that really goes beyond the area of ​​the competition authority, but we, at least through our state aid attribute, will also be involved in this subject”, said Chirițoiu.

He stressed that it is important to eliminate energy subsidies in the coming period, and in his opinion “essentially things are going in the right direction”.

“Energy liberalization will be important in the coming period. Having a well-functioning market is important – and I saw yesterday’s statements by the president of ANRE, I think it’s a good thing (…) that you can’t easily enter and exit contracts. For a market to function well, contracts must be respected. If you don’t have mechanisms to ensure contract compliance, you can’t have a functional market and I think that what ANRE is preparing is in public consultation, so the details may change, but essentially things are going in the right direction”, the head of the competition authority argued.

The National Energy Regulatory Authority has published in public consultation a draft Order regarding the introduction of a guarantee for contracts concluded on electricity markets in the form of a percentage of the value of the contracts, the proposal being that this guarantee be 30%, stated, on April 10, in a press conference, the president of ANRE, George-Sergiu Niculescu.

“The second thing I want to talk about is the Order published today in public consultation on the website of the National Regulatory Authority. It is about the introduction of a guarantee for contracts concluded on the energy markets, in the form of a percentage of the value of the contracts. The proposal of the Regulatory Authority is that this guarantee should have a value of 30% of the value of the contracts”, said George Niculescu.

He emphasized that, since 2018, on the natural gas side, this guarantee for contracts exists in the form of bank guarantee letters or amounts of money deposited by those who trade.

“We are trying through this measure to improve the trading method in the sense that, I believe, the energy market in Romania is in a process of maturation, and the introduction of these guarantees does nothing but establish clearer, firmer rules in the electricity market. Usually, the lack of guarantees, obviously, can lead, theoretically, to greater liquidity, but the failure to engage in a guarantee can ultimately also represent a form of non-compliance with the contracts agreed by the parties. We believe that it is a measure that will, I repeat, lead to, or contribute to, the process of maturing the energy market,” explained the ANRE president.