The Ministry of Finance has conducted an analysis of fuel prices, which was transmitted to the Government, stated the Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare.
“Indeed, there are spectacular increases. We are concerned about the situation. Especially regarding the fact that the stocks that producers and distributors have at their disposal today are stocks purchased in the past. Therefore, if you allow me, all agencies and all institutions that have the task of monitoring and controlling this situation in a context of crisis on the fuel market must act in this regard. As such, our analysis, the analysis of the Ministry of Finance has been transmitted to the Government, I am convinced that a decision will be made in this regard in the coming days and we, the Ministry of Finance, are also part of this decision,” explained Nazare, according to Agerpres.
He specified that the price increase occurred immediately after the start of the war, although the stocks available at that time were not influenced by this decision, having been purchased in the past.
“We saw a price increase that overlapped with the moment the war in the Middle East began. Immediately. It is clear that the stocks available at the time the war began were not influenced by this decision. They are stocks purchased in the past. I know that Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan had discussions with companies in the field. I know that the Minister of Energy was also very active, he discussed with companies. The Competition Council, ANAF, ANPC must act and I believe that in the coming days, based on the analyses, a decision will be made to monitor prices much more strictly,” said Alexandru Nazare, asked by journalists about the evolution of fuel prices.
He specified that the Ministry of Finance did not just make an analysis, but also did act.
“The state aid scheme that was related to transporters was updated immediately. We updated it so that transporters would have an excise tax deduction of 0.85 bani, so that the increased price would not be transferred immediately and this would have happened in the case of transporters. So, the Ministry of Finance made a decision last week that is beneficial in this context. In order to continue, to declare a crisis situation in the energy sector, to monitor prices, to monitor much more strictly the way certain economic operators behave, the Government must take some measures that are stipulated in Ordinance 84 of 2022”, said Alexandru Nazare.
Asked to what extent political tensions affect the possibility of taking these measures, he stated that “we must be very careful because not every measure we take is a measure that will bring immediate results, be immediately seen in the price or stabilize prices.”