The European Commission warned Romania on Wednesday to remove its cap on gas prices or potentially face legal action over the policy, which the EU executive branch said violates the bloc's energy market rules. Gas and power bills for Romanian households, small businesses and public institutions have been capped up to certain monthly consumption levels since November 2021, with suppliers compensated for the difference. In a notice published on Wednesday, the European Commission said the policy violates EU rules on the free formation of wholesale gas prices, since Romania's measure obliges firms to sell part of their production at a fixed wholesale price. "Regulated prices at the level of the EU-wide wholesale market distort price signals and effective market functioning," the Commission said. European wholesale gas prices began climbing in 2021 after Russia limited deliveries. Prices soared to record highs the following year when Moscow further slashed supplies after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Romania's government has two months to respond to the EU warning, after which the Commission can refer the case to the EU's top court, if the matter is unresolved. Ahead of its May 18 presidential election run-off, Romania currently has an interim government which cannot issue decrees or introduce policies. Former Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigned on Monday after hard-right eurosceptic George Simion won the first round of the presidential election re-run. The president elected this month will appoint a new prime minister. In February, the former government extended the gas price cap for a year, and prolonged the power price limits until June, to rein in consumers' bills. Romania produces almost all the gas it consumes domestically, through producers OMV Petrom, state-owned Romgaz and offshore producer Black Sea Oil & Gas.
This autumn, a mature linden tree on the campus of the British School of Bucharest (BSB) was relocated to a new position within the school grounds to make space for the development of new sports facilities. The operation, supervised by two UK specialists from Ruskins Trees & Soil Biology Ltd, represents the first such relocation […]
Romania continues to record the largest value-added tax gap in the European Union, losing around one-third of both VAT and corporate tax revenues, according to an analysis by PwC Romania based on the VAT Gap in Europe report by the European Union. The country has held the top position in VAT non-collection for the past […]
Romanian companies recorded higher profitability than peers in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland across nine economic sectors, positioning Romania among the most attractive regional markets for investors in selected industries, Ziarul Financiar reported, citing a joint study by the Bucharest...
Romania ranks 19th globally for mobile internet speed, surpassed not only by advanced economies in the region but also by neighboring countries, which have accelerated investments in mobile infrastructure and managed to achieve faster and more stable connections, according to Economica.net,...
Romania added 2.5 GW this year to its total solar power capacity, 45% more than last year and roughly one third of the total capacity expected at the end of the year (7.6 GW), according to Economica.net, citing data from the latest report by Solar Power Europe, the European photovoltaic industry association. The performance, combined […]
The volume of net investments in Romania’s economy rose by 8.8% y/y in Q3 in comparable prices, accelerating from a sluggish +1.0% y/y rate in H1, according to data published by the statistics office INS. The rebound points to stronger capital formation after a weak start to 2025. Indeed, gross fixed capital formation rebounded to […]
