Media appearances

Monday, April 6, on Banii azi, TVR News discussing with Catalin Deacu about: – President Basescu's statement about the rationalization of diesel and where I think the rationalization should start – why is the price important in a country like Romania – the overtaxation practiced by the Romanian state on fuel… – the factor that aggravates the Hormuz crisis, namely the attacks on Russian oil export terminals – the duration of aid at the pump offered in other countries. See more

My interaction on Monday, April 6, at Digi24. I spoke with Anca Orheian about: – the (premature) rationalization scenario. Rather, we will have a "soft", voluntary rationalization. Anyway, at the level of individual/family consumption, there are already decisions to reduce car trips. But the state could use this crisis as a good opportunity to make fuel consumption more efficient and impose stricter rules for fuel settlement in the governmental/administrative apparatus. – prices: they remain a big problem. Romania's landing in the club of countries that pay the most for fuel worldwide (!) is totally inappropriate and does not correspond to our economic reality. This is NOT our club, our membership in this group is NOT justified and we must get out of there immediately. The fiscal aggressiveness of the Romanian state can bring it a short-term gain (deficit reduction), but it can create long-term loss and consequences (at best, economic contraction, at worst – bringing extremist forces to power). Careful! Individuals and economic operators who have built up fuel reserves in the context of this crisis: fuel must be kept in appropriate conditions – optimal temperature of 21 degrees Celsius, stored in a dry place, without moisture, without contact with water, because it can spoil.

My discussion yesterday, with Radu Osipov, on TV Moldova1, about the Romanian refineries and how we can get through this period better. Romania's refineries: 1. Petromidia – the largest in the country. Refining capacity: 5.4 million tons (Mt) of crude oil/year. It came out of the technical review and is working… 2. Petrobrazi – the second largest. Refining capacity: 4.5 Mt/year. It works. A partial overhaul (only at one installation) took place in the second part of March. 3. Petrotel-Lukoil – the third largest refinery in the country. Refining capacity: 2.5 Mt/year. It remains closed. From November 2025. Moldova should not rely entirely on Romania during this period, especially for the diesel supply. Diversification is the key word this time as well. On the other hand, Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries and export terminals aggravate the problem, because they remove from the market certain volumes that otherwise (legally or illegally) supplied the regional market. Ukraine has no other solution than to continue hitting Russia's "war chest". What can we do? The only thing available to consumers is to act on the demand/consumption side. Especially in countries that depend 100% on imports, such as the Republic of Moldova. That is, the adjustment of consumption, in the sense of its reduction.

A news report from Antena1, April 6, relevant to the reaction of Romanian drivers regarding the measures taken so far by the Romanian government. This is how things look when you dance around the problem and pretend to take action. The measures must have an effect.

I commented on Digi24, on April 4, the unusual situation at some gas stations in Romania, where it was noticed that premium diesel ended up being sold cheaper (9.84 lei/liter) than standard diesel (10.51 lei/liter). This could have 2 explanations. 1) The commercial one: the drivers who paid in advance for premium diesel have reoriented themselves and fuel up with the standard one. Thus, the respective gas stations were left with more unsold premium diesel. And they lowered the price of premium diesel to encourage drivers to buy the premium as well. 2) The technical one, which is related to the shelf life of petroleum products. Both diesel and gasoline are perishable products: gasoline (3-6 months), diesel (6-12 months). Of course, if it is added and stored in appropriate conditions, it can last for 1 year (gasoline) or 1.5-2 years for diesel fuel. In the discussed case, we may be dealing with an "accelerated sale" of a premium assortment, if the respective diesel is part of an older batch, whose validity period is approaching its expiration. #DieselPrice #FuelPrices

Friday, April 3, discussing with Cristi Citre at Digi24 about the surprising situation of April 3, when gasoline (which does not benefit from an excise duty reduction) became cheaper, and diesel (to which the excise duty reduction of 30 banis will be applied) became more expensive. We also talked about the price difference between gasoline refined by Kazakhs (Rompetrol) versus gasoline refined by Romanians (OMV Petrom). Anyway, we have to take into account the fact that, in terms of price, OMV Petrom follows a "dual brand" strategy: lower prices in Petrom brand gas stations and higher prices in OMV brand gas stations. #FuelPrices #GasolinePrices #Rompetrol #OMVPetrom

Friday, April 3, on Euronews Romania about the $200/barrel scenario. I think we still have until there. So, not yet. There will be other stages ahead, including rationalization or the discussion about essential vs. non-essential activities (as in a pandemic). We should not panic, but understand that we may need to adapt, that is, to change our mobility habits until this crisis passes.

Friday, April 3, at B1.ro, discussing with Gabriela Mihai about the strangeness at the pump on Friday morning: 8.59 lei / liter of petrol at Rompetrol, in the conditions that Rompetrol brings the oil from Kazakhstan versus … 9.22 lei / liter of petrol at Petrom stations, although the refined oil is predominantly domestic, extracted right here in Romania (65% of the refined oil at Petrobrazi is Romanian according to the statements of the company's bosses) Finally, we talked about the need to have a more moderate consumption in the next period. #FuelPrice #gasprices #crisismode

On Wednesday, April 1, on TVR News, in the program "Who makes the law", I explained how repeated and imperceptible increases in the excise tax over the last 2 years led (cumulatively) to a doubling of it, a treacherous tactic deliberately adopted in order not to alarm drivers. How did it come to seem normal to pay for the liter of fuel twice? At the restaurant, we do not pay the 300 lei bill and the 300 lei tip to the waiter.

I just came from the "Paradoxical Romania" Podcast where I spoke with Mihai Tatulici about….everything. But especially about what we do with fuel prices.
Why are they so high, is it normal to pay twice a liter of fuel (once to the company and once to the state)? Can we afford not to reform the state companies and not to close the harmful ones? How many more generations have to pay for the excesses of crony capitalism?
In Romania, in addition to paradoxical fuel prices, we also have a liberalism that defends fiscal aggressiveness (although liberals should be the ones who lower taxes), a social democracy that advocates for the reduction of the excise tax and a sovereignty that campaigns for the reduction of the VAT on fuel to 15%. What can be more paradoxical than this?