The bill providing that the state will offer each household user 428 lei in compensation for electrical energy for April and May was given a first reading. The opposition MPs criticized the fact that this compensation is to be provided to all the consumers, not only to those who really need this support. They asked to review the categories that will benefit from this compensation, which could be even increased, for the second reading, IPN reports.

One of the authors of the initiative, Socialist MP Petru Burduja, said these calculations derive from the average consumption of electricity in February and March. The compensations for power will be paid in two equal parts – until May 25 and until June 25.

Under the bill, the Ministry of Finance will allocate the necessary funds to the account of the electric power supplier, which will distribute the money to the personal accounts (NLC) of the household users (private individuals). It was estimated that 532 959 286 lei will be needed for the purpose, in accordance with the average consumption.

The head of the PPPDA parliamentary group Alexandru Slusari asked the author of the bill why these allocations weren’t planned only for the persons who really need them. Petru Burduja said they decided not to make this process more difficult by imposing the obligation to present different confirmative certificates.

“I think the colleagues also understand that we are in an election campaign now and such initiatives will be adopted in the first reading, but will not reach the second reading,” said Democratic MP Pavel Filip. According to him, the authors, if the intention is real, should propose amendments to the bill and this should be adopted today in two readings.

In his speech, PAS MP Dumitru Alaiba noted that if calculations are done and only the persons who really need this money are selected, those entitled could be offered even a higher compensation. This bill further encourages inequity as helping those who don’t need such assistance represents a waste of money.