The Romanian government will declare a crisis situation in the oil and petroleum products market, planning to adopt an emergency ordinance for this purpose.
The meeting to adopt the necessary emergency ordinance will take place on Tuesday.
The decision comes against the backdrop of the accelerated rise in fuel prices and aims to limit the impact on the economy and the population.
The Executive has determined that, during the crisis, protective measures will be implemented for an initial period of six months, with the possibility of successive extensions every three months, if the situation requires it, according to a statement issued after a meeting convened by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan on Monday morning at Victoria Palace.
Among the main measures is the limitation of the commercial margin for gasoline, diesel, and the raw materials used in their production, along the entire economic chain.
Minister of Energy, Bogdan Ivan, later specified that the limitation will be set at 50% of the average margin in 2025.
Additionally, exports and intra-community deliveries of gasoline and diesel will require prior approval from the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Energy, a measure intended to ensure fuel availability in the domestic market.
The government also foresees a reduction in the quantity of biofuel in gasoline in an attempt to lower the final price paid by consumers.
Meanwhile, the Ministries of Finance, Economy, and Energy, together with the Competition Council, will constantly monitor market developments and assess the need for additional measures.
The meeting at Victoria Palace was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Marian Neacșu, Minister of Energy Bogdan Ivan, Minister of Finance Alexandru Nazare, Minister of Economy Irineu Darău, as well as representatives from the Competition Council.
Since the onset of the war in Iran, standard diesel has increased by over 1.3 lei/liter, approximately 16%, while the price of gasoline has risen by about 1 lei/liter.
Diesel is unlikely to return to low price levels, and the threshold of 10 lei/liter is poised to become the new reference level, amid structural changes in the energy market, says Dumitru Chisăliță, president of the Intelligent Energy Association (AEI).
"There are moments in the economy when we are not witnessing a crisis, but a regime change. 2026 is one of those moments. And at its core lies an uncomfortable truth, systematically ignored by markets, politicians, and the public: there is no longer a credible scenario in which diesel returns to 'cheap' levels.
We are not talking about a temporary price peak, not about a deviation from normal. We are talking about the end of normal. The 10 lei/liter threshold is no longer an exception. It is the new baseline," explains Dumitru Chisăliță.
Prices of basic food products could increase by up to 8-10% by the end of the year due to high energy and transportation costs.