The government will decide after December 20 whether to extend fuel subsidies from January 1, 2023, by which time a price analysis will be carried out, Finance Minister Adrian Cachiu said on Saturday.

• “We will probably make this decision after December 20. We will take it in such a way as to decide whether it is a continuation or not,” said the Minister of Finance on Prima TV, answering the question whether the Government will provide a fuel subsidy after January 1.

When asked if the extension of this subsidy was necessary, Adrian Cachiu said that he asked for analysis data on the expected prices on the fuel market.

• “Now you see that the price is going down, although the embargo on Russian oil intervened.
• I want to see how this price plays out in terms of all the markets that have oil futures, and what the end products mean: gasoline and diesel, so as not to have a toxic effect on the market.
• Why am I talking about toxicity? That is, not to increase costs for companies. If my price stays the way it is, that’s the approach. If, instead, there are signals that somewhere before January, until the end, we will analyze it and make a decision.
• But I can’t tell you right now because it’s good to have all the data in a table. The goal is for the tax rebate to go to those who sell fuel. The goal is that you and I and any citizen and any company in Romania can have a cost at the pump that they can afford,” Caciu stated.

According to the emergency order, operators of gas stations, which from July 1 provide a discount of 0.5 lei/liter of fuel, receive compensation of 0.25 lei/liter from the state budget. The measure, which was initially adopted for three months, was extended in September until December 31.