A summer marked by severe drought and the complete shutdown of the Cernavoda Power Plant inevitably impacts final consumer bills. The upcoming winter will not affect everyone in the same way, as an apartment in a block of flats differs significantly from a house equipped with panels, heat pumps, and batteries. While gas benefits from a safety net of capped prices for households, electricity will face regularization.

Regarding fuels, the 25 percent reduction in the diesel excise duty had a minor effect, with prices remaining above 10 lei per liter. The Petrotel-Lukoil refinery is not refining anything, and seller behavior indicates a tacit agreement, where the market leader raises gasoline prices and competitors align immediately to protect their profits. The Competition Council and ANPC need to overcome their lethargy and inspect costs in real time. Cost structures differ radically: Petrom refines crude extracted directly in Romania at Petrobrazi without huge maritime transport costs, theoretically yielding the lowest price. Rompetrol brings crude from Kazakhstan via the Black Sea with higher insurance due to military risks, while MOL imports fuel from Slovakia and Hungary, where it refines cheap Russian crude. How is the exact same price at the pump justified?

Maintaining high excise duties during an energy crisis is considered economic suicide. Eastern European countries, with lower purchasing power than Germany or France, are vulnerable victims, whereas Malta understood this and opted for the minimum excise duty. Romania refuses to lower VAT or request derogations in Brussels, invoking the maintenance of special pensions. If businesses are suffocated, young people leave, and companies like Dacia consider relocation, the question remains who will pay taxes. Continuing on this path paves the way for extremist political growth. The solution lies exclusively with the state through fiscal relaxation and administrative reform, points highlighted by ROEC in a recent discussion.