Transporters take to the streets

Thousands of taxis, trucks and buses blocked traffic for a few hours in Bucharest on Thursday.

România Internațional, 18.12.2015, 12:26

Romanian
transporters staged a massive protest on Thursday over the rising cost of
obligatory liability insurance policies and the fact that the extra duty on
fuel will be maintained after January 1st 2016.

Transporters
asked the government to find a way to reduce the amount of obligatory insurance
policies, eliminate the extra duty and lower the amount of royalties. The
National Union of Road Carriers in Romania says it has informed the president,
the government, the finance ministry, the Financial Surveillance Authority, the
Competition Council and the transport ministry about the imminent collapse of the
obligatory car insurance market.

According to the
union, insurance policies for road transport have increased more than three
times in one year. From 1,200 lei in 2012, the average cost of a 12-month
insurance policy for international transport rose to 4,000 lei in 2014 and to
15,000 lei in 2015.

Insurance
companies issued a press release explaining that in the case of international
transport, damages are much higher, and in some countries there isn’t even a
limit. Also, the level of damages to be paid in case of bodily injuries and
emotional distress in Romania is unpredictable, because there is no unified
court practice in this case.

A delegation of
protesters on Thursday had talks with government representatives, who said they
would look for a solution to their demands. Deputy prime minister Vasile Dancu
requested the Financial Surveillance Authority to propose adequate legislative
measures after finalising their current controls of insurance companies. Also,
the request to eliminate the extra duty on fuel will be submitted to the
finance ministry for analysis. The deputy prime minister told protesters that
the government plans to come up with a piece of legislation to regulate the
payment of debts, including in the field of transports.

A timetable for
fresh talks was also established. A three-party meeting will be held next
Tuesday between transporters, insurers and the Financial Surveillance
Authority, followed, on the 25th of January, by further talks, this
time also with parliamentarians, given that the Financial Surveillance
Authority is subordinated to Parliament.

Protesters said
they would give the government the benefit of the doubt, but warned that if
their demands were not met, they would again take to the streets in Bucharest
and across the country.