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15Jul 2026

Digi24

In the morning journal, today at Digi24, about the resumption of military actions between Iran and the USA and how this affects the oil market, prices and what we are doing. The best filter through which we can look at what is happening is this: we are witnessing a conflict with variable geometry, between 2 irrational actors, whose behavior is very difficult to predict. We live in an absurd reality, therefore the result is extremely difficult to predict. What can we do? Let's adapt, be resilient (on an individual, societal, continental level), invest in alternatives (electric - especially those with purchasing power), embrace a more flexible fiscal policy so as not to antagonize the Romanian population to the extent that they vote "out of spite" with the extremists in the next elections.

14Jul 2026

Digi24

Today, July 14, on Digi24, in discussion with Anca Orheian about the cheapening that Romanians have never seen before and the new wave of price increases that come as a result of the events in the Middle East (where hostilities between Iranians and Americans resumed) on the one hand, but also from Russia, on the other. Ukraine's campaign of drone strikes on Russian refineries put about 1/3 of the refining capacity out of action, transforming Russia from an exporter into an importer of refined products and generating a fuel crisis more like in the 90s. The 2 factors - the competition between America and Iran for the role of "Guardian of the strait" (with the related "protection fee" for the safety of transit through the strait) and Russia that will seek to import refined products (since their refineries can no longer produce) are the 2 factors that will push prices up.

10Jul 2026

Digi24

Friday, July 10, Digi24, in dialogue with Cristi Citre, about crude oil and prices. As long as we have uncertainty on the external level (the Iranians and the Americans understand each other, they attack each other, and the Strait of Hormuz oscillates between open and closed), certainty could come from within, where the Romanian state has control over fiscal policy and could make life easier for Romanian drivers. I say this because the excise duty is 3 lei/liter on gasoline and 2.8 lei/liter on diesel regardless of the international Brent quotation, that is, when the quotation is $40/barrel and when it is $120/barrel, the excise duty is the same in Romania. The Romanian state, however, is moving forward with its rigid and aggressive fiscal policy. Those who expect "the best" to come only from the international market must understand that the long-term effects of the geopolitical episode have NOT been fixed yet. Even if the market has adapted incredibly well, the consequences of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in March have not been addressed yet. I used up from reserves. The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is at an all-time low. Stocks must be restored before entering another episode of geopolitical turbulence. Otherwise, at the next price shock, we might not cope as well. See more

09Jul 2026

Yesterday, July 9, on B1.ro, a wider discussion about Romania as a regional "leader" in fuel prices. B1.ro made some nice cartoons showing the comparative prices of petrol and diesel (Romania versus other countries) which were a good support for our discussion. The most perplexing aspect that emerges from the regional picture is how does Hungary (with a VAT of 27%) manage to have a lower diesel price than Romania (which has a VAT of 21%)?... The culprit is the excise tax, which has doubled in our country (compared to what it was 2 years ago). The inability of the state to collect revenues for the state budget cannot be solved by excessively taxing those who are still "alive" (from an economic point of view). By maintaining excessive taxation, the Romanian state hits directly on the middle class, which is sent to a precarious / subsistence regime.

09Jul 2026

Digi24

Yesterday, July 9, on Digi24, a comparative look at gasoline and diesel prices in the region. The Romanian state shows no signs that it cares about drivers and continues with excessive taxation, which results in the fact that Romania has the highest fuel prices in the region. The approach of the Romanian state denotes an extremely cynical way of thinking: if you could afford a car, you must also be able to afford to pay for a liter of petrol/diesel. The excise duty remains double compared to Bulgaria, Romanian drivers - "to manage".

08Jul 2026

Digi24

Intervention from yesterday, July 8, at Digi24, about how the price of the barrel is starting to rise again ($78/barrel of Brent) while the Romanians have not yet experienced the cheapening at the pump that was supposed to result from the quote of $72/barrel of Brent.

07Jul 2026

My dialogue with the hosts of "Buna diminea, Romania" - B1.ro, from July 7, about the effects of the surcharge on the economy. #policriza #competition council #fuel prices

05Jul 2026

Digi24

My discussion last Sunday, July 5, about comparative taxation in the region (Romania vs. Bulgaria vs. Moldova vs. Ukraine). The Romanian state is killing the economy (especially small and medium-sized companies). It destroys its taxable base in an attempt to solve a problem of bad governance and weak administrative capacity by overtaxing drivers and increasing the excise tax to a level that cannot support what our economy can support at this moment.

02Jul 2026

Digi24

On July 2, at Digi24, about the too large adjustment gap between international quotations and local prices. However, the price difference for standard diesel between Romania (9.4 lei/liter) and Bulgaria (8 lei/liter) comes mainly from the excise tax, which here is almost double compared to Bulgarians: 0.55 EUR vs 0.33 EUR per liter (or 2.8 lei in Romania versus 1.7 lei in Bulgaria). The solution is simple - lowering the excise duty to the level practiced by Bulgaria.

01Jul 2026

On July 1st, at B1.ro, commenting on the reasons why in Romania prices are kept high much more than would be normal. What do we observe in our country? When it is expensive, the prices at the pump are very quickly correlated with the international quotations. When it's cheap, the transmission belt no longer works so well and the discounts are transferred much more slowly to the consumer. The argument of stocks (that prices are kept high because we are now consuming crude oil that was bought when the price was higher) can be credible, but only up to a point. If, year after year, we observe the same pattern (almost real-time price increases vs slow-down prices), we are dealing with a deliberate practice, in which case gas stations have to give explanations not only to the Government, but also to the Competition Council.

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