Regarding the 20% reduction in excise duty on diesel, the Ministry of Finance made a wiser decision compared to the initially announced 10% reduction, yet pump prices remain at around 2 euros per liter. Romania cannot be economically compared to rich countries like Germany, Denmark, Belgium, or Finland to bear the same price levels. The economic cohort in which Romania operates is different, meaning diesel prices here must be lower than in Bulgaria and Poland.

Real tax reduction should anchor costs in the purchasing power of the economy. The fundamental issue remains suffocating taxation. Why maintain an excise tax of 2.1 lei per liter instead of 1.4 lei, or a 21% VAT instead of 19% or 15%? While Romania achieves macroeconomic stabilization, the microeconomic environment suffers severely. Many entrepreneurs are at their limit or face bankruptcy. Living in continuous uncertainty forces businesses into survival mode, postponing investments and stalling economic growth.

Looking ahead to autumn, if international market prices rise, the excise duty reduction will be entirely neutralized by September. Europe faces a structural diesel deficit, and Romania is a net importer. Any external price increase will create heavy impacts, rendering a 20% to 25% excise cut insufficient to absorb the shock, as highlighted during the ROEC expert's intervention on Digi24.