Bro, what did I just catch! I was chilling with my coffee and an energy drink when I stumbled upon an AUR senator, Petrișor Peiu, sounding the alarm: the pro-European parties have disconnected us from the EU. I mean, those very guys who pretend to be big Europeans have thrown us in the ditch. And Peiu, the man, comes with numbers: the highest inflation in the EU - over three times the average, bro! Economic stagnation or recession, the lowest employment rate - under two-thirds of adults, the lowest share of population with higher education, second-to-last in school performance (PISA scores, if you know what those are), and first in deaths from treatable or preventable causes. "What connection do the parties that call themselves 'pro-European' have with Europe?" he asks rhetorically. Good for him, because I for one haven't seen any connection - except that they steal our money and tell us they're pro-European.
But don't think it's just AUR propaganda, because on the very same day, the Competition Council published some interesting data: between March 1 and June 30, 2026, fuel prices in Romania were below the European Union average. The institution's president, Bogdan Chirițoiu, stated that during the cap on commercial margins and the temporary reduction of the excise duty on diesel, Romania had lower prices than the EU average. In mid-June, final prices were 7.2% below the EU average for gasoline and 3.7% for diesel, and the differences without taxes were even larger: 15.1% for gasoline and 8.3% for diesel. That's the good news. The bad news is that in the last days of the period, the price of diesel gradually approached the European average - which Chirițoiu considers a return to the pre-war situation. And from July 1, the excise duty on diesel returned to its previous level, meaning an increase of about 36 bani per liter, including VAT. So, boys, get your wallets ready, because the price hike is coming again!
Now, what do I say? Well, Peiu is right in a way: they tell us they're pro-European, but we're doing badly on all indicators. But AUR isn't the solution either, because they also boast about taking us out of the EU... seriously, they drive us crazy. And the Competition Council confirms that we only had cheaper gas when there were caps, but now the excises are back. So, bro, take a deep breath and head to the pump, because next month you'll pay more. The Competition Council says it will continue to monitor the market and will finalize a report by the end of July. Until then, I'm going to explain to Mioara why diesel has gone up again - I'll tell her it's the fault of the pro-European parties, because otherwise I don't know how to get out of this.
