Romania has declared a fuel crisis due to rising prices
The Romanian government plans to declare a state of emergency in the crude oil and petroleum products market and implement anti-crisis measures to curb fuel prices and mitigate their impact on the economy and the population.
The decision was made following a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ilie Boloyan, according to enkorr.
The government is expected to approve an emergency decree that will remain in effect for six months, with the possibility of a three-month extension.
Key measures include:
- limiting commercial markups on gasoline, diesel fuel, and raw materials throughout the supply chain;
- mandatory coordination of fuel exports and supplies within the EU with the ministries of economy and energy;
- considering a reduction in the biofuel content in gasoline to lower the final cost for consumers.
Market participants are awaiting clarification regarding possible restrictions on transit and export operations through the fuel terminal in Constanta. Traders hope there will be no transit ban and oppose restrictions on trading margins.
The Ministries of Finance, Economy, and Energy, together with the Competition Council, will continuously monitor the market and assess the need for additional interventions.
Fuel prices in Romania are rising sharply amid the US and Israel’s conflict with Iran: in Bucharest, gasoline has exceeded 9 RON per liter, and diesel fuel has approached 10 RON. Evgenia Gusilova, director of the Romanian Energy Center, warned that gasoline prices could potentially reach 10 RON per liter by the end of March, which could slow down business activity and disrupt supply chains.
As of March 25, the largest gas station chains in Ukraine have updated their fuel prices. The average price of A-95 gasoline remained virtually unchanged at approximately 73.01 UAH per liter.
