Ombudsman Mihail Cotorobai has expressed his concern about the recent rise in electricity and gas tariffs, which he fears will trigger an "explosive" hike in other prices on goods and services, IPN reports.

 

In a press release published by his Office, Ombudsman Cotorobai warned that "the social impact of the rise in tariffs will be disastrous, given the population's earnings that are already meager". In its annual reports, the Ombudsman's Office has many a time pointed out that roughly 98% of the pension recipients get a pension under the minimum subsistence level, while the average disability pension covers just 57.6% of that minimum.

 

Ombudsman Cotorobai recalls that the right to a decent standard of living is a principle affirmed in the Constitution. In light of this, he is requesting the authorities to review the decision that increased electricity tariffs by about 40% and gas tariffs by 15%. "This would be all the more right given the opinion expressed by a number of independent experts as well as by a group of researchers at the Moldovan Academy of Sciences' Energy Institute, who found that the rise in electricity tariffs could have been way smaller, no higher than 3.82%, and the rise in gas tariffs could have been completely avoided".

 

The Ombudsman also urges the relevant authorities to urgently identify measures to help the vulnerable groups of the population. He believes that "the Government should make efforts to find an acceptable social compromise so that the burden of the tariff hikes, in the event they stay, does not lead to even deeper poverty."