Road transport operators licensed in Romania or the European Union could benefit again from the partial refund of the additional excise duty, a measure that was suspended last spring.
The Ministry of Finance proposes, through a draft ordinance published on Tuesday, the refund of the amount of 20 bani per liter of diesel purchased, until the end of next year, and this state aid scheme will benefit road transport operators of goods or passengers (except for local public transport), according to Agerpres.
The increase in excise duty will be compensated through quarterly refunds, and the measure to be adopted is intended to avoid relocating fuel supplies outside the country.
According to the explanatory memorandum accompanying the draft regulatory act, the suspension, in March 2024, of the state aid scheme through which road transporters benefited from the partial refund of the additional excise duty, had the immediate effect of a significant decrease in diesel fuel supplies on Romanian territory, as operators chose to refuel in other member states, before entering the country.
“This practice is fueled by large price differences: in Bulgaria and Hungary, for example, only the minimum European excise duty of 330 euros/1,000 liters is applied, which means that diesel is 179 euros/1,000 liters cheaper than in Romania,” state the initiators of the project.
According to data from the Romanian Road Authority, in 2025 there were approximately 1,000 fewer freight operators than in 2023. Of the 47,148 remaining companies, 83.5% own no more than five vehicles, and 8.7% between six and ten – micro-enterprises being the most exposed to shocks. In addition, from 2024 to August 2025, all vehicles over 3.5 t incurred additional costs of at least 3,000 euros/unit (G2 V2 tachograph, calibration, assembly, ITP), imposed by the Mobility Package 1 – expenses not previously included in the tariffs.
In addition, figures from the National Institute of Statistics, cited in the substantiation note published by the Ministry of Finance, show that, in 2025, freight transport in Romania continues to follow a downward trend, both in terms of volumes transported and distance traveled – a trend observed in all modes of transport regulated by legislation.
Thus, in the first quarter of 2025, road freight transport recorded a decrease of 2.7% in volume compared to the same period of the previous year. Of the total of 68.8 million tons transported, 79.9% were carried out nationally. Also, the total distance of goods decreased by 3.4%, with the mention that, in domestic transport, a slight increase of 0.2% was recorded
In context, the Ministry of Finance shows that the price of diesel directly influences the operating costs of carriers, representing, starting from 2022, over 40% of total expenses.
The maximum estimated total budget of the state aid scheme is 60 million lei, and the maximum number of beneficiaries is 2000.
According to Article 342 paragraphs (9) and (10) of Law 227/2015 on the Fiscal Code, a reduced level of excise duty may be applied to diesel fuel when it is used as motor fuel for the following purposes: road transport of goods for own account or for other persons, with motor vehicles or articulated vehicle combinations intended exclusively for the road transport of goods and with a maximum authorized gross weight of at least 7.5 tons; the carriage of passengers, whether regular or occasional, with the exception of local public passenger transport, by a motor vehicle of category M2 or M3, as defined in Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 September 2007 establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles
The reduced level of excise duties is established by Government Decision and may not be lower than the minimum level provided for in Council Directive 2003/96/EC of 27 October 2003 restructuring the Community framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity.