​​After a temporary reduction in RCA prices for trucks over 16 tons, the government wants to approve on Thursday a state aid scheme to offset the increase in the excise duty on diesel fuel for carriers of goods and people licensed in Romania. The reasons are that many carriers are at risk of bankruptcy, and higher prices for road transport will lead to higher prices for other goods and services. The government also wants to avoid refueling vehicles in other states.

• “Currently, road hauliers are on the brink of survival due to rising inflation and diesel prices, and operating costs are rising significantly.
• Trucking companies are unable to absorb the increase in operating costs, diesel price pressures bring immediate additional costs that could lead to their insolvency or even bankruptcy,” the GD project rationale states.

For example, the operating cost of road freight transport increased by 29% in international transportation, and by 39% in domestic transportation.

Road transport enterprises have a net profit margin of 6-7%. In the conditions of rising costs by 29% and 39%, respectively, carriers have no opportunity to absorb them, most of them risk bankruptcy.

• “In order to stop the increase in prices associated with the transportation of goods/people by road transport, which causes an increase in costs for other goods and services, to prevent a possible reorientation of motor carriers to supply diesel fuel to vehicles in cities of other states, the Government of Romania may adopt legislative measures in this regard,” the document states.

SEE – STATE AID SCHEME OF THE HG DIESEL PROJECT

The state will return 13 money per liter of diesel. The scheme runs until the end of this year, but payments are made until the end of 2025

The state aid scheme consists of reimbursement of 13 bans per liter of diesel fuel purchased and applies to road transport operators licensed in Romania, who carry out the following activities:

• a) transportation of goods by road transport at one’s own expense or for payment by mechanical means of transport or coupled vehicles intended exclusively for the carriage of goods by road transport, with a maximum permitted total weight of not less than 7.5 tons;
• b) transportation of people, regular or irregular, with the exception of local public transport of people, by a motor vehicle of category M2 or M3 (…)

The compensation for the increase in the excise duty on diesel fuel is achieved through the quarterly return of the above-mentioned amounts to the licensed economic operators in Romania.

Other information:

• – The provider of public assistance is the Ministry of Finance and the administrator of the scheme is the Romanian Roads Authority (ARR), given that all the information needed to establish the compliance of business entities and vehicles can be found in the database of this institution.
• – Estimated total maximum budget of the state aid scheme, which is 180 million lei.
• – the payment of state aid must be made by December 31, 2025, inclusive, within the budget allocated to the scheme, based on the provisions on the payment of state aid approved to compensate for the increase in excise duty on diesel fuel issued by ARR until December 31, 2024;
• – the estimated total number of business entities that will receive state assistance is 4,000.

Considering the fact that for technical reasons (the state aid scheme is valid until 12/31/2024 and the analysis period, accordingly, for the completion of the payment procedure exceeds 30 calendar days), invoices for diesel fuel delivered during November 16-December 31, 2024 are not can be claimed for payment and settled to compensate for this obstacle, invoices presented for supplies made starting 30 working days before the publication in the Official Gazette of this regulation will be considered as eligible expenses.

Only operators can submit applications for compensation for the increase in excise duty on diesel fuel

business entities that are not in executive proceedings, bankruptcy, distress, liquidation,

operative closure or liquidation, in respect of which a decision has not been made

return of state aid, and if such decisions were issued,

they were not performed in accordance with current legal provisions.