Agriculture, a collateral victim: Coalition disputes block farmers' money for diesel and irrigation

The Romanian agricultural sector is navigating a spring sowing campaign fraught with uncertainty, largely stemming from ambiguous signals regarding subsidies for 2026. Adding to the complexity is a controversial proposal by Minister Florin Barbu to exempt fuel from excise duties and VAT, to be applied "directly at the pump." While the minister claims this would have zero impact on the state budget, specialists view it as a measure that is exceedingly difficult to implement within the existing legal and technical infrastructure. The core of the issue lies in EU directives, which cap such exemptions at a mere 5%, directly contradicting the minister's proposal. This has led to friction, with Ilie Bolojan noting that Barbu's initiative lacked direct consultation, despite frequent communication channels being available. The Prime Minister, meanwhile, has tasked PNL specialists with analyzing the proposal, a review that has highlighted the significant legislative hurdles required for alignment with EU directives. The proposal, as it stands, cannot be directly instituted via an emergency ordinance that does not amend the fiscal code. Furthermore, the Payments and Intervention Agency for Agriculture (APIA) lacks the competence to recover excise duties and VAT, a task solely belonging to ANAF, according to sources within PNL cited by Cotidianul.ro. In response to these challenges, the Prime Minister has introduced broader measures, effective since March, aimed at stabilizing the market and supporting those affected by rising fuel prices. These include limiting price speculation by capping markups to last year's average and restricting diesel exports, though reductions cannot be total or indefinite for farmers and transporters.

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Trebuie să luăm decizia aceasta în Guvernul României, iar fermierii să aibă acces direct la pompă, cu aceste certificate prin care achiziționează motorina fără TVA și fără acciză, pentru că este impact zero la bugetul de stat.