A coalition of employers’ associations and trade unions have written an open letter to Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, calling for a freeze in energy prices at the level they were recorded at in December 2020, it has emerged.
Faced with sky-rocketing energy prices, four employers’ associations and five trade unions have requested that the government fixes the price of electricity and gas for at least one year.
They recall that the legal provisions allow the government to extend the measure to freeze energy prices for up to three years.
The unions explained that whilst they acknowledge that the hikes in energy bills have been caused by international markets, they believe that price rises in Romania are significantly higher than elsewhere. This situation was believed to put not only the population in a difficult position, but the entire economy. The group of unions highlighted that fixing prices at the level recorded in December 2020 would give the authorities time to modify the legal framework in order to avoid an economic and social crisis.
Members of the Romanian governing coalition discussed energy prices on Monday evening, with parties making various proposals to make gas and electricity cheaper. The Romanian statistical institute said on Friday that in December last year, gas went up by 52 percent and electricity by 15 percent compared to December 2020.
