Government allocates an additional 1 billion RON for energy compensation and transport for people with disabilities

The Ministry of Finance has decided to increase the spending limit of the Ministry of Labour for September by 1.058 billion RON. The measure is intended to support the reimbursement of compensation for electricity and natural gas consumption, as well as the payment of transport entitlements for persons with disabilities.

The interim Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare, clarified that this supplementary allocation is being made within the already approved budget and aims to ensure the funds required for payments due this month.

The largest share allocated to energy compensation

Of the total 1.058 billion RON, approximately 1.03 billion RON will go to the National Agency for Payments and Social Inspection, to cover reimbursements under the scheme compensating electricity and natural gas bills.

The remainder, approximately 28.964 million RON, has been allocated to interurban transport entitlements for persons with disabilities. These funds are necessary to ensure that such payments are made and to prevent the accumulation of new arrears in this regard.

Minister Nazare's explanations

Alexandru Nazare indicated that the compensation scheme already has resources budgeted for it, and that the decision now taken will allow a larger portion of the scheduled payments to be made within September itself.

According to the Minister, reimbursements to energy suppliers have not been processed at the required pace until now, and the build-up of unpaid obligations has placed pressure on the entire mechanism. The additional funding is intended to accelerate these reimbursements.

The process involves several steps: the verification and validation of amounts claimed by suppliers, followed by the actual disbursement of payments. The Ministry of Finance clarified that it is not directly responsible for reimbursements to energy suppliers, but solely for providing the necessary budgetary funds.

Risks of delayed payments

Nazare warned that delays in state payments could affect the liquidity of companies in the energy sector, as well as their capacity to finance their day-to-day operations and investments. For this reason, the Minister believes that support mechanisms must be designed so that payments are made in a predictable manner, without repeated delays.

The supplementary allocation announced for September is therefore an adjustment to spending limits within the already established budget, intended to ensure the settlement of obligations relating to energy compensation and the transport of persons with disabilities. The Ministry of Finance has stated that it will continue to monitor budget execution and the availability of resources for meeting these obligations.