Media appearances

Sunday, July 19, on Digi24, with a comment on two aspects related to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz: – the situation on the oil market was kept in check from March to July by the use of reserves (what the states removed from the strategic oil reserves), but this is a "false abundance"; – the real prospects for a geopolitical solution to the conflict are weak as long as the same regime remains in power in Tehran, which operates on the instructions left by the ayatollah and essentially continues the same political line.

At Digi24, on the topic of aviation fuel, why Europe is the most vulnerable region, but also when the problems might appear (in the second part of August).

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.

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.

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

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.

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".

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.

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

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.