The Chamber of Deputies adopted the amendments to the Offshore Law

RADIO ROMANIA NEWS - The Chamber of Deputies has adopted, as a decision-making body, the amendments to the offshore law, which regulates the exploitation of Black Sea gas.

Thus, Romania will have priority in extracting these resources, and the profit obtained will be divided between the Romanian state and investors in a proportion of 60 and 40 percent, respectively.

The bill received 248 votes "for" and 34 "against".

The only ones who rejected the new regulations were the representatives of AUR.

Iulia Gherman with details: “AUR has resumed its accusations regarding the new bill, including during a press conference organized before the plenary debates. Party representatives condemned the absence of sanctions against economic operators, as well as other measures they consider anti-national."

Deputy Dan Tanasa: "AUR supports such a legislative project that will start the extraction of gas from the Black Sea, but we argue that this must be done exclusively in the interest of the Romanian state and Romanians, if you will, on the model of Norway."

Social Democrat Alfred Simonis stressed that the sanctions requested by AUR are provided for in the current energy law. At the same time, the leader of the PSD deputies said that the amendments brought to the Offshore Law ensure Romania an important role in the regional plan.

Alfred Simonis: "Romania could become an actor who turns on the tap when Putin turns it off. It will also be able to provide the necessary amount to Moldova, obviously at a cost, as well as to Ukraine and other countries in the region and outside our region.”

USR voted in favor of the bill, although the party's proposal to divert oil revenues to Pillar II pensions was rejected by the parliamentary majority. Deputy Cristina Pruna explained the USR amendment.

Cristina Pruna: "We can ensure decent pensions and, at the same time, the money to produce value in the economy and to develop the energy, chemical and petrochemical industries."

Present at the debates, the Minister of Energy, the Liberal Virgil Popescu, declared that the amendments to the Offshore Law ensure stability, but also the possibility that the gas needs should be given priority to Romanian citizens.

Virgil Popescu: "The government can intervene at any time and redirect gas to the Romanian market in case of an energy crisis, and in case of bilateral contracts that will be concluded, the National Agency of State Reserves has the right of pre-emption."

The Chamber of Deputies is the decision-making body on the draft law, so the amendments to the Offshore Law will be for promulgation."

Translated by: Radu Matei