European aid for energy
Romania will benefit from European funds to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis.
Roxana Vasile, 20.10.2022, 14:00
The European leaders have decided to discuss, this weekend, in Brussels, additional measures to secure the energy supply, but also to reduce prices. Meanwhile, in Bucharest it has been announced that Romania will receive 2.2 billion euros, from European funds, to help the vulnerable population and companies cope with the increase in energy bills, after the European Commission decided that 10% of the unspent funds from the 2014-2020 programming period can be allocated to new forms of support.
In Wednesdays Government meeting, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă stated that, in addition to compensating the invoices received by needy families or granting vouchers, money will also be directed to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and creating jobs. The Minister of European Funds, Marcel Boloş, detailed the main directions in which the money will go:
“There are three types of measures that can be taken. One is to help vulnerable households face the energy crisis, including with regarding to the price of energy. The second possible measure will be the one related to the working capital grants to be granted to SMEs and the third type of measure is the one related to employment and job creation.”
In parallel, the situation generated by the energy crisis was the subject of a debate held in Parliament on Wednesday, as a result of the growing number of complaints received from citizens about energy bills. Most people are unhappy with the invoiced price and the calculation formula. All major suppliers in the country are targeted. The National Authority for Consumer Protection has announced that steps are being taken for a single, easy to decrypt invoice template to be used at national level.
Representatives of the Romanian Ministry of Energy have said that there is political will to ensure the return to a partially regulated market throughout the chain, from the producer to the final consumer. We recall that starting January 1, 2021, the Romanian energy market has been completely liberalized, a process often criticized for its defective implementation, which has triggered a quasi-chaos, overlapped by the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
Looking at things in perspective, amid fears regarding Europes energy future, the Romanian national company Romgaz and Socar from Azerbaijan have agreed to lay the foundation for a joint project to transport liquefied natural gas through the Black Sea. A memorandum of understanding in this regard was signed in Bucharest. The goal is to diversify and supplement the gas supply corridors from the Caspian Sea basin to Europe. Romania is thus hoping to become an important energy and natural gas hub. (MI)
