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The Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, did not appear at the press conference at the Ministry that was supposed to start on Monday at 12:30, in order to clarify the GEO by which the so-called “sun tax” is regulated. This is a tax that would be imposed on prosumers who invest in photovoltaic panels for their own energy production. The minister did not present himself because George Simion was present in the room and came to the podium taking over the stand where the minister was supposed to hold the press conference.
“Virgil Popescu is hiding from the Romanians, the press conference has been cancelled”, said the AUR leader, who claims that he wants to talk to the Government official about the “sun tax”. Simion said that he would stay for 5 more minutes and that he would leave for the Parliament. He also said that he is not violent and that he will no longer call Virgil Popescu a “thief”.
A gendarme arrived at the Ministry of Energy, asking George Simion to leave the building, otherwise will be fined for violating the law.
At the scheduled time, instead of Minister Virgil Popescu, State Secretary Sergiu Niculescu appeared, who stated that a new press conference will be organized where only accredited journalists will be allowed access. This decision comes as a result of the presence of AUR leader George Simion in the room where Virgil Popescu was to speak. George Simion went up to the podium where Virgil Popescu was supposed to speak and after that he started looking for him around the Ministry building, saying he wanted to talk to him.
The Minister of Energy was bullied several times in the past by the AUR deputy, including in Parliament.
On Sunday, PSD accused the liberal Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, of charging, by emergency ordinance, imposed on citizens and companies that invested in photovoltaic panels.
The accusation comes shortly after USR criticized the PSD-PNL government for issuing this ordinance which basically introduces the “sun tax”. Government sources claim that the GEO G had the approvals of the ministries and institutions led by the PSD: SGG, ANRE, the Ministry of Finance, and the PSD ministers did not raise any objection in the government meeting where the ordinance was adopted.
Later, the Ministry of Energy reacted by saying that the amendments to the law “were necessary, considering that Romania was at risk of entering infringement proceedings”, and the emergency ordinance “comes with a series of legislative clarifications, precisely to encourage this type of investment”.
The ministry also argued that the possibility of introducing the tax is remote, “in the time horizon of the end of 2026”, and it requires the fulfillment of several conditions “the emergency ordinance can be modified in the Romanian Parliament.”
On Monday however, the Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, categorized USR’s accusations regarding the introduction of a tax on the sun as fake news and claims that all Romanians who install photovoltaic panels on their houses will pay absolutely no tax for the energy consumed and produced.
“In my opinion, the fact that it is said that a tax is being introduced is fake news. Absolutely no tax is introduced. It should be known that all Romanians who install photovoltaic panels on their houses will pay absolutely no tax for the energy consumed, the energy produced. We are not talking about any tax.There is a possibility under certain conditions that the EU directive offers that when the number of prosumers is very high and reaches 8% of the installed capacity of the national energy system based on a study that ANRE will do at that time, something very unlikely to we reach that percentage, starting with December 1, 2026, then the Government, the member state can introduce a tax through ANRE or the Environment or any institution that can charge this tax”, Popescu argued.
“But there is very clearly “may introduce”, so there is no that there will be a tax tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or next year or 2 years from now or 3 years or 4 years from now. I categorically deny the existence of a prosumer tax, and the Ministry of Energy will never support the establishment of a tax,” he added.
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