The levels at which the price ceilings for energy and gas have been set violate both the European directives and the Romanian Constitution, as it obliges suppliers to record losses, said on Thursday Dana Dărăban, executive director of the Federation of Energy Utility Companies Associations (ACUE).

“A law must ensure a correct synthesis of all the regulations in force, ie we must make sure that the law complies with other laws. At the moment, the regulatory and capping framework violates both a European directive and a law in force. This is because, through the way the ceilings are set, and it can be proved with exact calculations, the supplier records a loss. It obliges me to perform a public service, for which I record a loss, which is unconstitutional, first of all,” said Dărăban, according to Agerpres.

According to her, returning to the regulated market is not a solution, as in the end it will also be the consumers who will pay the extra costs.

“In order to make the right decision for the consumer, you have to start from the realities. We have been hearing lately about the return to the regulated market. The market is no longer regulated for economic agents since 2014. A liberalization schedule has been adopted, since 2013 and, after several changes in deadlines, January 1, 2021 was the date the liberalization process ended, not the date the market was liberalized. Returning to the regulated market is not a solution, because someone will incur a cost. Where does that cost go? It will also go to the consumer. In order to make the right decisions, we must accept how the market works, not rely on perceptions, on what we believe, we must understand very clearly what can happen if we return to the regulated market,” added the ACUE representative.