The security of energy supplies has recently become an increasingly sensitive issue amid geopolitical tensions and instability on international markets.
In order to avoid disruptions in the supply of petroleum products, Romania, like all EU Member States, is obliged to maintain minimum emergency stocks of crude oil and petroleum products.
The legal framework that transposed the obligations assumed by Romania at the European Union level is Law No. 85/2018 on the establishment and maintenance of minimum reserves of crude oil and/or petroleum products. Through this normative act is regulated not only the level of stocks, but also the way of administration and sanctions for non-compliance, argue Alex Milcev, Partner, Head of Tax and Legal Assistance, Mihai Petre, Director, International Trade and Daniela Neagoe, Senior Manager, International Trade, EY Romania.
The level of minimum stocks shall be at least the higher of the quantity of net imports over a period of 90 days and the quantity of internal consumption over a period of 61 days, calculated on the basis of the daily average.
According to the Order of the Ministry of Energy no. 622/2025, during the period July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026, there are 18 economic agents in Romania that are obliged to constitute such stocks.
Maintaining emergency stocks is not a purely formal obligation. The controls carried out by the competent authorities are intended to ensure that stocks exist, are readily available and can be released when the situation so requires.
The law not only lays down the obligations, but also provides a clear penalty regime for non-compliance. Economic operators that fail to fulfill their responsibilities regarding emergency stocks can be sanctioned, precisely to prevent behavior that could jeopardize energy security.
Among the offenses considered as contraventions are the failure to establish or maintain minimum compulsory stocks and the unjustified depletion of reserves or their use for purposes other than those permitted. In the case of such contraventions, the measures may include fines of up to 3% of the turnover realized in Romania in the previous financial year.
The application of sanctions does not have a purely punitive purpose, but aims to protect a major public interest: Romania's energy security. Without real and well-managed reserves, any crisis on the oil market could quickly turn into a major economic and social problem.