Energy prices for household consumers in the EU increased by 1.3% for electricity and 1.7% for natural gas in 2019, but the largest increases in electricity prices in the national currency were recorded in the Netherlands (19.6%), Lithuania (14.3%), the Czech Republic (11%) and Romania (10.1%), in the period between the second half of 2018 and the second half of last year, shows the data published by Eurostat.

In contrast, price decreases were recorded in 10 Member States, the most significant being in Denmark (minus 6.3%), followed by Greece (minus 5.8%), Portugal (minus 4.9%) and Bulgaria (minus 4.7%), according to Agerpres.

In the second half of 2019, in the European Union, electricity prices for household consumers ranged from 10 euros/ 100 kWh in Bulgaria to about 30 euros/ 100 kWh in Denmark, Belgium and Germany. In Romania, the average price of electricity was 14.2 euros/ 100 kWh, below the average of 21.6 euros/ 100 kWh in the EU 27. In addition to Bulgaria, lower prices than in Romania were recorded only in Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Estonia.

Regarding the prices of natural gas for domestic consumers, in the national currency, they decreased by 4.2% in Romania.