The gas market will certainly be liberalized on July 1, and the electricity market, on December 31, 2020, otherwise we risk not being able to use European funds anymore, due to the infringement that Romania has in the gas sector, the minister of Economy, Energy and Business Environment, Virgil Popescu, said on Monday.

He was asked by journalists how the energy and gas market will be liberalized, if GEO 1/2020, which provides for this, will be rejected by the Chamber of Deputies, as happened in the Senate.

Popescu specified that, in this case, the liberalization will be included in the changes that are now being made in Parliament to Law 123/2012, the framework law of the energy sector, according to Agerpres. “My opinion is that OUG 1 will be passed by the Chamber of Deputies. On the other hand, we had discussions in the Commission of industries and services last week, with ANRE and the president Iulian Iancu, and those changes regarding the liberalization of the gas market on July 1 and the electricity market on December 31 will be put into Law 123, which is under scrutiny,” the minister said.

He reiterated that there will be no price increases from July 1. “There are two levels: the GEO is under debate in the Chamber of Deputies, I do not know when it will go out, as long as it will not go out is in force. In parallel, the amendment of Law 123, also related to Regulation 943, is discussed and the provisions regarding the liberalization will be introduced. This is an assumed thing, it was my last discussion in the Commission,” the government official said.

Popescu recalled that the liberalization was agreed with the European Commission and is a condition for lifting the infringement procedure. “So that we should not be surprised that we can no longer use European funds because of that infringement,” he added.