On Monday, March 16, while discussing fuel price capping on Antena 3, Eugenia Gusilov emphasized that price capping, with or without compensation, is not an effective solution.

A central issue with capping is determining who bears the cost between the market price and the artificial price. Drawing on the recent five-year experience with capping and compensation schemes, energy suppliers are still awaiting state settlements for amounts used to subsidize and pre-finance the mechanism.

Although the legal settlement term is 45 days, delays have stretched to two years, leaving outstanding amounts of approximately 6 billion lei. While theoretically funded by the state, the burden fell on suppliers who relied on bank loans and now struggle to recover funds.

Additionally, the announcement regarding the Petrobrazi refinery entering maintenance was highlighted as a likely corporate response to the threat of price ceilings. Operating during maintenance minimizes financial losses compared to purchasing crude oil at over 100 USD per barrel and selling at artificially capped prices.