Record Refinery Profits Amid Soaring Diesel Prices in Romania; Competition Council Criticized

Diesel prices in Romania have climbed back above 10 lei per liter, a development that has drawn sharp criticism just days after a 20% excise tax reduction was implemented. The price hike occurred despite the legal expectation that the tax cut would lead to cheaper fuel.

Specialists in the energy sector argue that the current price is artificially high. According to energy expert Cosmin Păcuraru, based on international market prices for refined oil products, the cost of diesel should be around 8.62 lei per liter after accounting for excise duties and VAT. However, at the pump, prices are exceeding 10.22 lei, indicating a commercial margin of over 15% for distributors.

Former Minister of Energy, Bogdan Ivan, has called for urgent intervention from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Energy. He pointed to the rapid daily, and sometimes hourly, price increases at gas stations. Ivan stressed the need for the Ministry of Finance, ANAF (the National Agency for Fiscal Administration), and the Competition Council to investigate how these prices are determined and whether speculative practices are occurring.

Questions are being raised about who benefits from these elevated prices. Potential beneficiaries include refineries, whose actual costs for crude oil and refining are not transparent, and distribution companies increasing their margins. The state also collects a significant portion of the final price through taxes and excise duties. The Federation of Romanian Transport Operators (FORT) has requested parliamentary action to amend the law concerning temporary excise duty adjustments.

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Prețurile la motorină au luat-o razna, crescând de la o zi la alta și, în unele cazuri, chiar de la o oră la alta la aceeași benzinărie.