The minister added that the price of domestic heating for population will not increase. In addition, he stated that he had obtained the agreement for the CETs to be treated as domestic consumers in terms of gas consumption.
"I guarantee with my resignation that the gas price will not increase, the heating price for population will not grow. If it happens differently than I’ve said, I'm willing to resign. What guarantee do you want more?" Nicolescu said.
He added that he had the agreement of the European Commission since August, to delay the timetable for liberalization of gas prices for the population by 2021. Nicolescu said he had obtained the agreement of the former European Commissioner for Energy, Gunther Ottinger , following a discussion held at Iasi -Ungheni gas pipeline inauguration (Republic of Moldova).
The statement by the Minister is made in the context where in the Romanian press a letter has been published in which the European Commission conveyed that it did not agree to extend the timetable for gas price liberalization.
The gas price liberalization schedule means quarterly increases of gas prices from domestic production.
The Department of Energy proposed the European Commission to accept the postponement by two and a half years of the gas prices liberalization schedule for the population and maintain, until at least 1 July 2016, the current price of domestically produced gas.
In the same press conference, Razvan Nicolescu announced that he would sue PSD Deputy Iulian Iancu and Andreea Paul Vass for libel and slander, showing that in some cases the debate on energy issues in the public space overstepped some admitted limitations.
"I’ve taken the decision to initiate a legal suit against Iulian Iancu and Andreea Vass for libel and slander. It is not my fault that Mr. Iancu is Minister of Energy and probably never will be," Nicolescu said.
"A certain decency is essential to any discussion in the public space. This is a country, these are people," Nicolescu said.
Nicolescu and Iancu had Wednesday in the Chamber plenum an exchange of words, the Minister stated that there was no question of thermal energy price increases in 2015 and Iancu said it was a false intervention defying the Parliament.