The ruling coalition is considering measures to help consumers, such as reducing fuel excise duties and zero VAT on food, but the budgetary impact and how this could affect investment must also be taken into account, Economy Minister Florin Spataru said on Tuesday.

He participated in the signing ceremony of the joint-venture agreement between Uzina Mecanică Bucureşti (UMB) and General Dynamics European Land Systems Romania (GDELS), together with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă.

In the end, Spătaru was asked by journalists if the Government intends to reduce the excise duty on fuel, so that the final price at the pump will decrease.

“It is a discussion we have in the Government, I cannot give you an answer at this moment. We have to see what the budgetary impact is. Romania has proposed major investments in the economy that we want to stick to, all these measures must be analyzed. We will certainly come up with a proposal that will be accepted by everyone,” the minister said, according to Agerpres.

When reporters told him that France and Hungary had already capped fuel prices, he replied: “It’s true, but you see that the Hungarian and French economies look different from the Romanian economy.”

Spătaru added that the Executive will approve on Wednesday the emergency ordinance regarding the measures that will be taken on the energy market from April 1, even if the final version has not been agreed so far.

“I can’t give you details, because this ordinance is currently in draft form and is about to be finalized. It will be approved tomorrow, but there is still a lot to do until tomorrow. We are working hard on all ministries to finalize,” Spataru said.