Diana Buzoianu: We managed to save part of the Rabla program: 200 million lei for individuals

Buzoianu told RFI that it is impossible to completely rethink projects or programs this year. However, part of the Rabla program has been saved.

„We are talking about 200 million lei for individuals. We will have this program this year. You should know that it is not easy in a context where we should have cut 30 billion lei. We fought and did calculations and looked at absolutely all the figures in recent weeks to find a solution. I am very happy that we managed to save part of this program. This is the first time I have said this. (…) Obviously, there will probably be discussions about vouchers, because there is a very, very big difference between a voucher for a plug-in car, for example, and a voucher for an electric car, which is a difference of 10,000 to 37,000 lei. However, we are in a rather difficult economic situation in which we want to help people who really need such assistance, people who can afford cars costing 10,000 euros. We are no longer able to offer vouchers worth 37,000 lei this year. They will decrease, but it is good news, in my opinion, that we are able to save part of the program,” said Buzoianu.

In order to restart the Rabla program, the Minister of the Environment says that further discussion is needed on the second package of fiscal and budgetary measures regarding the other programs.

Diana Buzoianu spune că a reușit să salveze parțial programul Rabla: ce sume vor fi alocate 

Buzoianu also said that the program needs to be redesigned, but not for this year

„For this session, this year, I repeat, to change the guidelines and have new criteria, it might take six months, and then you wouldn’t even be able to launch the program. But for the future, I agree 100% (that it needs to be rethought – ed.). This program was initially conceived and sold as an environmental program. (…) Indeed, the target in the PNRR, which should have been achieved by removing old cars from the streets, has been achieved. So we are at the point where we have achieved this target. This program was also designed to help an industry. Which is not a bad thing, but it is not the focus of the Ministry of the Environment. I mean, here we have to think of projects that help the environment. Of course, it had an impact, but we are also talking to experts who tell us that this program also encouraged old cars to come to Romania, so that they could then be sold and the vouchers could be purchased. There is another aspect. These vouchers are issued in a matter of minutes. Why are they issued? And they do not take into account, for example, people’s incomes. In other words, today we are subsidizing and giving money, vouchers, the same vouchers to a person who may have an income of 10,000 euros per month and may not even need that voucher, and to a person who, in fact, would otherwise not be able to afford to give up their old car because they earn the minimum wage. In other words, all these things were not thought through from the outset,” the minister added.