Romania's 40% Gas Rate Hike Sparks Fears of Wider Price Increases
The National Energy Regulatory Authority (NARE) has approved an increase in the natural gas rate from 14.42 to 20.30 lei per cubic meter, a rise of over 40%. This increase will hit citizens hard, particularly those facing multidimensional poverty, as hundreds of thousands of families struggle with already burdened budgets.
The cost of gas directly affects production costs, business operations, and the prices of many goods and services. Former Prime Minister Vlad Filat warns that this increase risks triggering a new chain reaction of price hikes, for which citizens will ultimately have to pay.
Filat asserts that the way the energy sector is managed, lack of transparency in procurement, and decisions made without accountability will end up on people's bills. He questions why necessary volumes weren't purchased when prices were lower, and why citizens should pay for how these purchases were handled.