Romania is calling on the European Commission and neighboring countries to accelerate the expansion of cross-border electricity interconnections, stressing that reducing electricity prices is vital for protecting the competitiveness of both European and Romanian industry. The appeal was made by Cristian Bușoi, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Energy.
Bușoi noted that Mario Draghi recently warned about the limits of Europe’s influence in the current geopolitical environment, shaped by the war in Ukraine, which has directly affected both the EU and Romania. As a former chair of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee in the European Parliament, Bușoi collaborated with Draghi on strategies to strengthen industrial competitiveness and stabilize energy markets. He described Draghi’s warning as a strong signal, underlining that lowering energy costs should be a central objective. Proposed measures include reinforcing the single energy market through better coordination of cross-border flows, creating a unified regulatory framework to reduce protectionist barriers, and investing in nuclear power, carbon capture, natural gas, and renewable energy.
High electricity prices remain a burden for Romania, Bușoi said, adding that the eight measures recently presented by Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan provide a clear plan for reducing costs. He stressed that implementation must begin without delay, as several initiatives will require time to produce results. Bușoi reaffirmed his commitment to push in Brussels and across the region for faster interconnection development, which he sees as a decisive tool for price reduction.
He also pointed to a proposal to temporarily decouple electricity prices from the high marginal price mechanism during crises, building on joint efforts with Bulgaria and Greece. Enhanced regional cooperation, he argued, would increase political pressure on the European Commission to act.
According to Bușoi, Romania’s long-standing push for better electricity interconnections is part of a broader strategy: lowering energy prices is not only a national priority but also essential for Europe’s long-term economic competitiveness.
