The population's energy costs will double due to the economic policies adopted by the new government and President Dan, claims the sovereignist opposition.
NEWS: Energy bills have been capped for three years, but as of July 1, the electricity market will be liberalized and consumers will pay the full price. For those with low consumption, who paid the lowest price, bills could double.
Hidroelectrica customers have already received notifications of the new prices they will pay starting July 1, when the market will be fully liberalized. The new tariffs range from 1.03 to 1.12 lei, depending on the distribution network they are connected to, meaning price increases of up to 65%.
NARRATIVE: Energy bills will double due to the disastrous governance of Nicușor Dan and Ilie Bolojan.
PURPOSE: To undermine trust in state authorities, promote a sovereignist discourse, and provoke anti-establishment protests and social movements.
The cap was, from the start, a temporary measure.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: In the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, electricity and natural gas prices rose sharply, and the outlook suggested that the increase was ongoing. To reduce the impact on domestic consumers and some public institutions, the government at the time decided, through a series of legislative acts , to cap electricity and natural gas prices for the population. In practice, energy prices remained the same, but suppliers billed only part of the actual price to these categories of consumers, with the rest being covered by the state budget, i.e., by the population, through the Ministry of Labor for domestic customers and through the Ministry of Energy for non-domestic customers. The cap varied depending on the consumer and the time period, but from the outset it was temporary in nature, which was clearly announced by the authorities. And although there have been subsequent changes and extensions to the cap, this aspect has not changed until June 30, 2025.
These decisions were therefore taken more than three years ago, when neither President Dan nor Prime Minister Bolojan were part of the government, being at that time local elected officials in Bucharest and Bihor, respectively. It is clear that we can accuse the current government of many poor or misguided decisions, but the fact that a legislative package adopted in Parliament three years ago is having an impact today cannot be attributed to the current executive, i.e., it is not the Bolojan government that is doubling energy bills. The price increase is merely the result of market economy mechanisms, which combine production and distribution costs with supply and demand, this time without any intervention from the state.
The AUR propaganda network, reactivated after the inauguration of the new president
CONTEXT: Although the political crisis has ended and Romania has a president and a prime minister legally validated by Parliament, Romanian sovereignists seem to be continuing their election campaign in what could be an attempt to force early elections. Having taken a break from the media between April 7 and May 26 (coincidentally or not, the period of the presidential election campaign plus the time elapsed until the inauguration of President Dan), the AUR party's propaganda network suddenly reactivated, continuing to promote false narratives aimed at undermining public confidence in the current government coalition.
The website 60m.ro is part of a “network of lies”, coordinated by the extremist group AUR, whose representatives frequently promote fake news and disinformation , aimed at manipulating public opinion in order to demonize the current political class, which, in collusion with the collective West, is allegedly undermining the Romanian people's way of life and seeking to destroy the country. The model is reminiscent, in tone, themes, and language, of Russian discourse, which fuels the justification of Moscow's aggressive policy.
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