What the newspapers say: September 22, 2010 

The law on pensions stirs up a full-fledged war between the governing Democrat Liberals and the Social Democrats. Gasoline in Romania is more expensive than in Germany or France, find out why. In the eyes of the government, Romanians with a sauna or a pool are on the same level with those with six pigs or 21 sheep since no one will receive subsidies for heating.

With a penal complaint from the PSD for the last week’s vote on the pensions law, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Robera Anastase accuses PSD of blackmail for the same law. Gandul reads that while the parties debate the matter, the law will be judged by the Constitutional Court.

PSD submitted a penal complaint against the PDL Chamber of Deputies Speaker for trying to approve the project even if it did not have a quorum. In response, Anastase accused the Social Democrats of trying to blackmail them. They claim that PSD requested 127 billion lei from PDL in exchange for a favorable vote on the law on pensions.

The matter was settled between a PSD vice deputy and the leader of a group within PDL, Mircea Toader. Toader admits of attending such a meeting but says that it did not negotiate anything, that nothing was materialized.

PSD leader Victor Ponta denies that it requested money from the governing party. Meanwhile, politicians play ping pong with declarations and accuse each other of lying.

Gandul attempts an explanation to the fact that Romania’s gasoline is more expensive than in Germany or France. In Romania producers blame productivity. Even though gasoline have a higher price than in Germany, France or even Austria the main producers continue to increase the prices.

Thus, while a liter of gasoline Euro super 95, without taxes costs 0.523 euro in Romania, in France it costs 0.503 euro, in Germany 0.512 euro and in Austria 0.514 euro. Also, in Bulgaria the same type is 0.515 euro or in Poland, 0.513 euro.

At the EU level, the price practiced in Romania is the average of the EU. Lukoil General Director Constantin Tampiza says that the high prices are determined by efficiency and productivity. In his opinion, production costs are higher and higher because everything got more expensive in Europe.

Romanians who have utility machines, cars with a higher engine capacity or more than 5 pigs, 20 sheep or over 1,000 sq meters of terrain will not receive heating subsidies this winter. Evenimentul Zilei reads that the government’s decision on Monday equalizes those who have a yacht with the peasants who struggle for a living.

However, political sources quoted by the newspaper claim that the ordinance is not fully accepted by the party’s leadership and according to them, there were voices who urged the Labor minister to make up a list of goods that exclude Romanians from receiving the heating subsidies.

The ordinance passed by the executive is enforceable starting November 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011 and tries to cut at least by 10% the number of beneficiaries. Last year, 3.2 million families received the money from the state.