More than 520 pensioners with a pension income below 2,000 lei in the reports of the Ministry of Labor, so the likely beneficiaries of the energy cards will not receive the heating allowance of 1,400 lei, as information from the ANAF and Population Registration databases from the MAI shows that they live with other people with an average with a net income of more than 10,000 euros, Minister of Investments and European Projects Marcel Bolosh said on Wednesday.

The Post Office of Romania has started printing and packaging energy cards, but the authorities do not yet have accurate information about the beneficiaries.

“It would be unnatural for them to receive assistance for heating”: the situation of hundreds of pensioners

There are 527 cases where people who appear as beneficiaries in the records of the Ministry of Labor, with an income of less than 2,000 lei, live at the same address with family members or other cohabitants who appear in the ANAF databases with income from transactions on the housing market capital or share transactions that generate an average net income per family of more than €10,000.

In such cases, it would be unnatural to ask for 1,400 lei in aid, Minister Marcel Bolosh said on Wednesday at a conference at the Stamp Factory.

• We remind you that assistance in the amount of 1,400 lei (in two parts: February and September 2023) is provided at the place of consumption and after calculating the acceptable income, which must be less than 2,000 lei. So, in households with several residents, the incomes of all co-residents are added up and divided by their number, and the resulting amount must be less than 2,000 lei inclusive.

The authorities are now checking the lists of law enforcement officers – some 4 million possible beneficiaries – in terms of the income of each household member, interrogating the databases of the Ministry of Labour, Census and ANAF to authorities are now uncovering the chaos in government databases.

The situation should be clarified by February 15, when MIPE will deliver the money to the Romanian post office, Bolos said.

The maximum amount of income can be increased from 2,000 to 3,000 lei.

The authorities are also currently considering raising the maximum amount of income from 2,000 to 3,000 lei, starting with the second tranche of aid of 14,000 lei, which will be transferred from September.

This should be decided in the Coalition and discussed with the European Commission, and the decision should be taken no later than May in order to have time to provide the second tranche of this aid, Minister Bolosh said.

Vodafone will supply the post office with energy card scanning technology

The CEO of the Romanian Post Office announced on Wednesday that Vodafone is the company that has won the procurement procedure for thousands of PDAs with data subscriptions and portable printers needed to scan and pay bills and energy cards.

• “Last week, we completed the procurement of 7,000 electronic devices with which postmen can scan and collect these invoices. We are waiting for the delivery, which should arrive in the first half of February, and this payment method will work by the 20th. Our estimated value of the contract was almost 22 million lei, the assigned value was much lower than this amount,” said Valentyn Štefan, CEO of the Post.

He said the result had not been released as a public announcement from Vodafone was awaited.

During the negotiation procedure, Poșta Română received four offers for the purchase of the technology needed to scan the barcode on the invoice and on the energy cards for the distribution of 1,400 lei assistance to the vulnerable, a contract with an estimated value of more than 21.7 million lei.

From the data analyzed by HotNews.ro, Posta received 4 offers from the main local mobile operators, respectively:

• 1. SC Orange Romania SA
• 2. SC IT Genetics SRL with subcontractor RCS&RDS SA
• 3. SC Vodafone Romania SA
• 4. SC Telekom Romania Mobile Telecommunication SA

When and how payments for electricity will be made

In a press release sent later, the Post Office notes that the payment of electricity bills will be made according to the following schedule:

• a) For installment I – the cost is 700 lei, during the period 20.02.2023 – 30.06.2023;
• b) For installment II – the cost of 700 lei, during the period from September 2023 to December 31, 2023.

Payments will be made in any branch of the Post of Romania OR directly to the postman at the beneficiary’s place of residence.

• The procedure is as follows: payment is made by postal transfer to the account of the energy supplier (or association of owners/tenants). After that, payment confirmation is received. It shows the amount remaining after the payment was made, the amount of the payment(s) made and the supplier(s) to whom the payment was made.

Ministry of European Investments and Projects (MIPE) made a guide with basic information about energy cards.

This year, MIPE will provide 700 lei of electricity bill support to vulnerable Romanians from European funds twice a year.

Aid collection cards will be issued and distributed by Poșta Românăand the lists of beneficiaries will be drawn up by the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity.