Parliament has imposed a temporary moratorium on the construction of new filling stations, “given that the excessive number of stations leads to rising costs and greater pressure on prices at the pump”.

The restriction will remain in force until the authorities develop stricter criteria for the construction of such stations. The provision is contained in the amendments to the Law on the Petroleum Products Market, the Fiscal Code and the Contravention Code adopted by Parliament in final reading.

The amendment also provides for the reduction of the license fee for the import and wholesale of fuels, from 260,000 to 3,250 lei per year. The fines applied to petroleum companies will increase up to ten times; currently they range from 3,000 to 15,000 lei. The authors consider that these amounts are symbolic in comparison with the profits reaped by many companies, but also the potential damages that such violations can cause.

The Committee on Economy, Budget and Finance agreed for the second reading to exclude the restriction on the wholesale resale of petroleum products.

The mandatory use of the e-invoice for the purchase of petrol and diesel by legal entities, as a measure to reduce the risk of undeclared sales, will enter into force on 1 May 2022.