Romania is currently among the EU member states with the highest diesel excise duties and pump prices, a level that poses immediate risks for freight transport and for the daily transport of schoolchildren, as operators can no longer cover their costs, the president of the Romanian Transport Operators Federation (FORT) Beniamin Lucescu said on Monday.
In this context, road hauliers are calling for urgent government intervention.
"Freight carriers are locked into contracts signed at the beginning of the year, and there is a real risk they will no longer be able to fulfill them - meaning goods may not reach store shelves. Another major risk concerns the roughly 500,000 pre-university students who commute daily with private operators. They may no longer get to school because this price increase cannot be absorbed in the margin. Margins in transport are around 2 - 5%. This is why I believe it is time for the Romanian Government to intervene, looking at what neighbouring countries and the EU are doing," Lucescu said at a press conference hosted by IMM Romania.
Regarding school transport, he stressed that it is "a public service", and operators are trapped by fixed tariffs. "Changing the tariff takes a very long time, and there is a risk there will be no money left to even start the buses in the morning. Not this week or next week, but the risk exists. Around 500,000 pupils commute for free, and the state reimburses operators afterwards. There is a real possibility we may no longer be able to take children to school. I'm telling you what transport operators are reporting," he added.
Lucescu also underlined that Romania has some of the highest excise duties in the EU. "We are at around 560 euros per 1,000 litres. Bulgaria is at 340 euros, Poland at 360. Germany is better than us at 470. The EU directive sets a minimum of 330 euros. So Romania currently has one of the highest excise levels in the Union. As for the price per litre, many countries are below us. Slovenia is at 7.7 RON, Bulgaria is about 1 RON cheaper without any state intervention, around 8.8 RON. Italy cut excise by 25 cents and now has cheaper diesel than us, around 9 RON. Today, the cheapest standard diesel at the pump here is 9.85 RON," he said.
The FORT president argued that the government must intervene "for everyone", following the example of other states. "Transporters are discussing the possibility of protests, but we are waiting for action this week. We expect an intervention from the government," Lucescu added.
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