The Ministry of Energy published the draft GEO regarding measures to protect the population and the economy during the crisis situation on the fuel market, including the limitation of the commercial surcharge to a maximum of 50% of the average of the one applied in 2025 and the limitation of fuel exports. The reduction of the commercial surcharge applies to every economic operator that produces, imports, distributes and/or sells gasoline, diesel and the raw materials used to obtain them. According to the project's substantiation note, the measure aims to avoid inappropriate behavior of economic operators and stop possible speculation tendencies in order to prevent unjustified price increases for these products. Also, during the crisis situation, the export and/or intra-Community deliveries of gasoline and diesel can be carried out by economic operators exclusively with the prior written consent issued by the Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism and the Ministry of Energy.The GEO project also provides for the possibility for economic operators to reduce the biofuel content of the volumes of gasoline placed on the market from 8% to a minimum of 2% for gasoline, during the period of application of the protection measures. 30 days after the end of the crisis period, the Ministry of Energy will analyze and propose, if necessary, compensatory measures for companies, so that the national objectives regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are not affected. Non-compliance with the provisions of the GEO will be sanctioned with a fine between 5% and 10% of the turnover. If the violator is a newly established legal entity, which did not register the turnover in the year prior to the sanction, it will be sanctioned with a contravention fine from 100,000 lei to 1,000,000 lei. The measures taken were determined, among other things, by the events in the Middle East, which «had major repercussions on the global oil market, especially with regard to the international quotations of crude oil and diesel fuel, which have so far increased by at least 25-50% compared to the beginning of February 2026, and the increase in quotations puts major pressure on the Romanian oil market, which depends on imports of crude oil in a proportion of approx. 75%», the explanatory note shows. Also, the large increase in quotations in the recent period at the European level is likely to affect the dynamics of consumer prices sooner or later, the generalized increase in inflation rates at the community level representing a general concern. Regarding natural gas, the draft normative act proposes: the establishment of a clear mechanism for the proportional distribution of the available quantities, depending on the estimated consumption of each supplier's customers; the introduction of detailed provisions regarding the breakdown of quantities by consumption categories, the establishment of explicit calculation rules, including: determination of minimum stocks; calculation of the differences between the estimated consumption and the allocated quantities; recalculation of quantities depending on the evolution of consumption; the regulation of a periodic recalculation and adjustment mechanism, based on the data transmitted by market operators; the establishment of a clear mechanism for the proportional distribution of the available quantities, depending on the estimated consumption of each supplier's customers; the introduction of detailed provisions regarding the breakdown of quantities by consumption categories, the establishment of explicit calculation rules, including: determination of minimum stocks; calculation of the differences between the estimated consumption and the allocated quantities; recalculation of quantities depending on the evolution of consumption; the regulation of a periodic recalculation and adjustment mechanism, based on the data transmitted by market operators;
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