​Prime Minister Nicolae Chuke admitted on Wednesday that the government was wrong when it decided to cap the price of firewood at 400 lei per cubic meter and announced that the executive would take corrective measures.

During a visit to the Iveco plant in Petrešt, Dimbovica County, journalists also asked Prime Minister Nicolae Chuke about disruptions in the firewood market, including how the government decided to cap the selling price at 400 lei/cube.

• “The Ministry of Natural Resources conducted an analysis of how much a cubic meter of wood costs in Romsilva. The average price they told us during the analysis we did before making the decision was 200 lei/m3 for wood, and I thought 400 lei per cubic meter somewhat covers the other costs that go into the whole process of firewood insurance.
• It turns out that this is not entirely true, so we will take measures. We have the right to admit where we went wrong and take appropriate action.” – answered Prime Minister Nikolay Chuke.

How did the Government decide to limit the price of firewood to 400 lei/cubic

We remind you that on October 5, the Government adopted an extraordinary resolution limiting the final prices for the population to no more than 400 lei/m3 for the following types of wood needed for heating in the cold season: firewood, wood shavings, chips, sawdust.

The government took this decision after discussions in the Coalition and motivated the measure by the need to protect more than 3 million households in Romania, which are heated with firewood or wood products, in the context of the energy crisis and artificial price increases.

However, initially the maximum price of 500 lei/m3 was included in the draft emergency ordinance.

When asked that the price was capped at 500 lei in the initial draft, government spokesman Dan Karbunaru explained that the change was made at the request of the prime minister.

“This is the request of the Prime Minister of Romania, and that is why this amendment was included in the regulatory act,” Carbunaru said on the day the government passed the emergency resolution.

The Government’s decision blocked the firewood market

HotNews.ro reported that a few days after the entry into force of the emergency decree by which the government limited the prices of firewood, the reality on the ground caused concern: large stores no longer have this product for sale, small authorized dealers are looking for a chainsaw for you, and customers who have not been insured since the summer, now they are studying “black” offers so that there is something to keep warm in the winter.

“Retailers have to buy these products at much higher prices than the capped ones,” warned Catalin Tobescu, president of the Woodworking Industry Association.

An analysis by the NGO WWF found that the government’s new emergency order not only fails to protect ordinary people, but kills small businesses and encourages do-it-yourself creativity.