The lack of strategic investments and of a clear vision for the development of the energy system are some of the criticisms leveled at Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja in the simple motion tabled to the Senate by the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), and which requests the minister’s resignation.

The motion titled „The Energy minister – a directionless leader sandwiched between green promises and gray realities” was submitted on Wednesday in the Senate plenary by AUR floor leader Petrisor Peiu. The chairman of the meeting Laurentiu Plaesu (AUR) ruled the initiative to be legal and announced that the motion will be debated and voted on in the plenary next Monday.

The 45 signatories of the motion (28 AUR, 10 S.O.S. Romania and 7 POT senators) argue that „the Energy sector, vital for any country, is too big a hat for Minister Burduja’s head” and point the finger at Romania importing this year natural gas from Bulgaria at EUR 60-70 MWh, while „in Central Europe the price was below EUR 45 MWh”, terming this as „a disastrous management that cost us dearly”.

„Romania is facing a chronic shortage of electricity production capacities. Mr. Burduja has publicly admitted to this issue, but his actions have not even remotely lived up to his statements. Projects intended to increase production were prioritized incorrectly, and those that could be easily implemented with minimal expense were blocked by a lack of political will. Simply put, Minister Burduja preferred to sign direct awards worth many billions of euros, while obscuring the transparency required by a public tender, completely ignoring projects that are easier and faster to implement and, above all, require much lower financing,” the text of the motion states.

Minister Burduja is also accused of „the arbitrary allocation of public resources to private companies, without competitive procedures” and of „mismanaging European and national funds”.

The signatories also take issue with „the ministry’s inability to reduce electricity costs for the population and the industrial sector”.

„On countless occasions Minister Burduja has touted the idea that Romania has one of the lowest electricity prices in the EU. But the reality is different: according to the latest Eurostat statistics which present the prices for the first semester of 2024, Romania has the fourth highest electricity price for households, almost double that of neighboring states – Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia – none of which has such an abundance of energy resources as Romania,” the cited document also states.

The text of the motion remarks that „at the helm of the Energy Ministry is someone who built their image on big promises, but whose decisions are a total chaos.”

„At the beginning of his term in office, Mr. Burduja posed as a great supporter of green energy, speaking about Romania’s sustainable future, about massive investments in renewables and energy efficiency. (…) Yet a 180-degree reversal of position followed. In January 2025, the same minister made a U-turn from massively promoting ‘green energy’ to attacking the energy transition. From ‘investing in the future’ he suddenly switched to ‘this green shock therapy has to stop’. Moreover, he announced a report on the ‘negative effects’ of the Green Deal and proposed a ‘Smart Deal’, without explaining specifically what this means,” the motion reads.

Also, the signatories of the motion claim that Minister Burduja is „incapable of ensuring the stability of the energy system, indifferent to the serious problems in the field and inconsistent in his decisions.”

„From the crisis of the gas deposit withdrawals in the middle of winter to dubious privatization deals and sudden changes of position regarding the energy transition, Sebastian Burduja has proven that he does not have the vision, firmness and competence required to lead the Energy Ministry. This lack of strategy and commitment, coupled with a dangerous inconsistency can no longer continue. Romania cannot afford to pay the price of his mistakes. For all the reasons stated above, we request the resignation of Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja,” the signatories of the motion wrote.

AGERPRES