The members of the Parliament - the deputies and senators of the Budget and Industries Commissions - yesterday began closely poring over the activities of the regulator of the energy market (ANRE), which has presented its activity report for the year 2012. The MPs have questioned the management of the ANRE over the effects of the liberalization of the gas market and electricity, the effects of the Government Ordinance which postpones the payment of an important part of the green certificates, the elimination of the co-generation tax and the set-up of the natural gas exchange. The MPs will draw up a report, which will be presented in the joint assembly of the Parliament, soon.

The population and the small companies, which still benefit from regulated prices for electricity and natural gas have understood that liberalization means higher prices, but they haven't understood why we need to bear these hikes "just because the European Union says so". We are a rich country, with lots of natural resources and we should benefit from that.

The representatives of the ANRE (the regulator of the Romanian energy market) explained that the integration of the energy market in the European Union (EU) means accepting many rules, among which the formation of the price of electricity on the free market, based on supply and demand. We currently have over 50% of the market use a regulated price (set by the authorities), which is also a means of social protection.

Romania thus has the lowest natural gas and electricity prices in the EU, and three quarters of its exports go to EU member countries. Thus, the Romanian manufacturing companies get much cheaper energy than those in the rest of the EU, which gives them a competitive advantage, which is construed as "dumping". That is why, the representatives of the ANRE explained, the large price gap between Romania and th