Law on social protection measures for vulnerable energy consumers, promulgated

President Klaus Iohannis promulgated on Thursday the Law on social protection measures for vulnerable energy consumers.The law was sent to Parliament for promulgation on Thursday.The Chamber of Deputies adopted, as decision making legislative body, the vulnerable consumer bill, to be applied as of November 1, 2021.

The law will establish inclusion criteria for vulnerable energy consumers, of social protection measures for them and access to energy resources to satisfy essential household needs.

Social protection measures can be financial and non-financial. They are financed from the state budget, local budgets or European funds.

According to the law, “a vulnerable energy consumer, called vulnerable consumer – a single person/family, which for reasons of old age, health, insufficient incomes or isolation from energy sources, needs social protection measures and additional services to ensure at least minimal energy needs.”

The average net monthly income is 1,386 lei/person, in case of a family and 2,053 lei in case of a single person.The reference value, according to the heating system used, is updated by government decision and cannot be lower than: a)250 lei/month, for natural gas, b) 500 lei/month for electricity, c) 320 lei/month for solid / or petrol fuel.

Families and single persons benefit monthly, including the cold period of the year, of a fixed supplement for energy, granted according to energy supply sources used, for: a) 30 lei/month for electricity, b) 10 lei/month for natural gas, c) 10 lei/month for thermal energy consumption, d) 29 lei/month for solid or petrol fuel consumption. In case the only energy source used is electricity, the supplement is 70 lei/month.

The bill, initiated by the government, was adopted on May 15 by the Senate and on September 7 by the Chamber of Deputies.

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