The re-liberalization of the gas market, the resumption of the 'gas release' program, and gas extraction from the Black Sea could be Romania's opportunity to become a significant market—the energy hub that is constantly being discussed—Septimiu Stoica, Chairman of the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Romanian Commodities Exchange, stated on Monday at the Natural Gas Forum.

He maintained that market prices should be determined freely and that the market should be liberalized.

'Over the many years I have been attending these conferences, I have tried to ensure that—at least from our side—they do not turn into monologues about what we have done or what we intend to do; instead, I wanted us to discuss issues in a more informal, conversational manner. (...) We want the Romanian market to truly mean something—to be more than just a place where transactions happen. That is simply not enough. A market does far more than just facilitate transactions; it discovers prices—both current and future ones. For that to happen, a market must truly function as a market. Why isn't there a real market in Romania? Because it lacks a fundamental characteristic—at least in the gas sector—namely, liberalization. A market must be free; prices must be formed freely. If prices are not formed freely, then what exists is merely—how should I put it—a 'so-called' market,' he said.

In the view of the BRM representative, within the energy market—covering not only gas but also electricity—circumstances such as economic and political crises have led to the emergence and development of the oxymoron known as the 'regulated market.'

'But 'regulated' not in the standard sense—meaning rules ensuring transparency, a level playing field, access to information, and the like—but rather a market where prices are administratively imposed. In this situation, we aren't just stagnating in a pseudo-market; we are getting bogged down in it, deluding ourselves year after year—a delusion that even spreads to our neighbors—that we will eventually have a real market. No, that is not how you get a market. When we look at the nitty-gritty—specifically the natural gas market—we need a genuine exchange-based market to make a real difference; and that requires a few specific measures. First, April 1, 2027, should mark the re-liberalization of the market; we need to move past the protective measures we use to defer—year after year, across the varying tenures of different political teams—facing the fear of what liberalization might bring. We should ensure protection for the truly vulnerable, while letting the market function as it should for everyone else,' says Septimiu Stoica.

Furthermore, the gas release program should be resumed, even if only at the minimum level of 20%.

And, if possible, the gas release program should be resumed—even at a minimum level of, say, 20%, if not 30-40%. This, combined with bringing Black Sea gas online, could be our chance to become a significant market player—to become that hub. For years, at countless conferences, that hub has been envisioned and referred to as such. It has become something of a national obsession, yet it is both exhausting and inefficient to merely talk about it. However, if we were to secure these conditions—given our privileged position regarding natural gas (it is a resource we can truly leverage; after all, how many EU countries are actual gas producers?)—we could make a real difference. We have both genuine sellers and genuine buyers. For us, the situation differs from places where the market simply involves aggregating buy orders to secure better prices; we can actually facilitate competitive buying and selling. And becoming a natural gas hub... I believe there are few areas where we can boast of finally taking center stage—not, you know, in sports competitions or through the talents of our contemporaries, but as a society where history—economic history—is finally being made, rather than us simply being... '...of the waves, the whims of nature, how much the Danube rises or falls, and things of that sort,' added Stoica. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Tilica; EN - writing by: Catalin Cristian Trandafir)

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