Economic growth based on private consumption received additional incentives once the global oil prices and the local VAT rate decreased, developments that were transposed in lower fuel prices at the pump, but the situation should be seen more in depth, said Daniel Apostol, economic journalist and General Secretary of ROPEPCA petroleum association at Daily Income talk-show.

“The price of fuel at the pump benefits from the reduction of international oil prices and from the local reduction of VAT. Personally, I bought diesel with 4.37 RON, i.e. below 1 euro per liter. When we look at developments in other countries it is necessary to understand that pricing policy is done also based on the general economic conditions of each country. In Romania, regardless of the international quotations, over half of the fuel price is represented by state charges”, said Daniel Apostol.

Each car owner or entrepreneur wants the lowest price possible for fuel, but equally important is the survival of an industry that provides, directly and indirectly, over 100,000 jobs, argued ROPEPCA representative.

“It is superficial to put the issue strictly from the perspective of cheaper fuel. We must ask ourselves what is the minimum price needed by the industry producing fuel to remain sustainable, we need to judge from the perspective of maintaining direct employment and the approximately 100,000 jobs in horizontal sectors who benefit from the existence of hydrocarbons industry and from the billions of RON sent to the national budget”, said Daniel Apostol.

Regarding widening price drop at the pump, he stressed: “Local prices at the pump have some connection with pump prices in other countries. It is advisable to grasp the general trend curve in Europe, because we won’t have national price spikes or declines more pronounced than those occurring on the continent.”