Over a month, people will wake up with double energy bills. The authorities do not explain anything to them

From July 1, the electricity market will be liberalized, a moment that expects to be followed by a great scandal. People still do not know what exactly this means, because, until now, the authorities have not made any information campaign.

It will not be the first time the energy market in Romania is liberalized, but the third time. The first time, in 2018, the job was done as a book: the renunciation of the regulated rates was gradually, for several years, and people did not feel. When things were best, Liviu Dragnea came with the famous GEO 114/2018 and hit everything over his head. He sent us back with 10 years.

The second time was a little more recent, in 2021. We still remember the moment: the authorities woke up in December that from January 1, the market will be liberalized and came out. The prices were going to rise, but no one understood how much. It was full of fake news. And on some televisions it was said that our current was cut, if we do not sign new contracts.

From the authorities, the same confusion: contradictory statements, ANRE changed the regulations from day to day, the minister blamed the suppliers, ANPC shared fines to everyone, even to companies who had nothing to do with energy supply.

After the elections, God with mercy!

The crisis of energy prices came, at the end of 2021, and the invoices were capped for all consumers, both electricity and natural gas. Initially, until March 31, 2025, then, because the presidential elections came, the deadlines were postponed until July 1 at Electricity and April 1, 2026 at gases.

Although they had more than three years to prepare the liberalization in advance and to gradually do this process, so that people do not feel too much to move to the market price, the authorities did not. They did not even make a campaign to inform the population that from July 1, the prices will be double for half of the Romanians.

They did not do this information because it was an election year and, is it not? For the same reason, the market was not liberalized even on March 31, 2025, they drew a little time to pass the presidential elections.

ANRE wanted a national campaign with influencers but did nothing

The institution which, according to the law, has the obligation to inform consumers is the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE).

But the only statements on this topic of ANRE officials were at the request of journalists, during conferences, and the answers were strictly referred to sending people to the ANRE website where there is a price comparator of all companies in the market.

In April, ANRE President George Niculescu gave details about liberalization, in an interview with hotnews.ro, but at our request.

Then, in May, Anre did another thing. All summary and late. It has adopted an order by which suppliers are obliged to inform their customers until June 10 that the market will be liberalized from July 1.

Otherwise there was no wide national information campaign, as Anre had set out to do last summer.

The authority had posted on the site an announcement according to which he was going to start a media campaign for consumer information, including TV and radio spots, shows or news dedicated to the field of energy, but also the distribution of messages with the help of energy and online.

A year has passed since then and I haven't seen any such campaign.

Invoices will double for half of consumers

Now, on the verge of liberalization, consumers must know that they do not remain without current (unless they do not pay their invoice) and are not obliged to conclude new contracts.

What will happen more precisely: the invoices will no longer be capped and people will pay the full price. Those who consumed below 100 kWh per month, who paid very little so far (0.68 lei/kWh) will pay double. These are about 4.5 million out of a total of 9 million consumers in the market.

Authorities are now looking for ways to subsidize only the vulnerable ones. But again, it is very late, and this had to be done a few months – a year before.

Burduja wants to declare vulnerable two -thirds of consumers

The Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, even advanced a hallucinating figure last week: he wants 6 million consumers to be subsidized, to be declared vulnerable, ie two thirds of the total.

This can also show that the authorities are scared by the psychological impact that the liberalization will have, from July 1.

In order for Burduja's ghostly desire to fulfill, one billion euros should come from the state budget to continue to support people's invoices. This is excluded, given the budget hole and so huge in which we are. In addition, if we continue to subsidize two thirds of consumers, this is no longer called liberalization.

In conclusion, when you open the invoice and have a shock, keep in mind that this could be prevented, if the authorities had the courage and dignity to tell you in time that the price of energy is another and to make a gradual increase in, not to lie to “forget what we pay for energy”.

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