Warnings of a New Oil Shock in Hormuz: The Government Negotiates Prices with Brussels Amid Sabotage Threats on Balkan Stream — NRG-IA

The Ghost of 1973 and the Strait of Hormuz Blockade Recent developments in the Middle East and the possibility of a military escalation involving Iran have triggered a major alert in international energy markets. According to Digi24 , CEOs of the world's largest oil and gas companies warn that a potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could have devastating consequences for the global economy, with some industry leaders comparing the current crisis to the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Expectations of disrupted hydrocarbon supply chains are forcing European states to urgently reassess their energy security strategies and pricing policies. High-Level Negotiations and Preventive Fiscal Measures in Romania Faced with these global warnings, the Romanian Government has accelerated negotiations to protect domestic consumers. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan held a strategic meeting in Bucharest with Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. According to Digi24 , fuel prices and interconnection projects were at the center of the discussions. As an immediate measure to mitigate the shock, the Executive decided to intervene in taxation. PM Bolojan announced a reduction in the excise duty included in fuel prices. "In the first stage, we are focusing on diesel, because this is where the highest increases occurred, and 70% of fuel consumption in Romania is represented by diesel," the Prime Minister explained, as quoted by Digi24. Regional Vulnerabilities: Border Sabotage and Grid Imbalances While Romania attempts to stabilize pump prices, the physical security of regional infrastructure has become a matter of acute concern. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Sunday the discovery of backpacks containing explosives and detonators in Kanjiza, northern Serbia. The area is in the immediate vicinity of the Balkan Stream gas pipeline, a critical artery supplying Russian gas to Serbia and Hungary, note Economica.net and Profit.ro . This incident raises serious questions about pipeline safety in an already volatile geopolitical climate. Domestically, security of supply presents other facets. Former President Traian Băsescu emphasized that Romania has the capacity to buy crude oil from international markets to avoid a shortage, but the real vulnerability lies in the processing capacity of refineries and in electricity generation, criticizing the closure of coal-fired units ( Digi24 ). The warning regarding the electricity system overlaps with an unprecedented technical reality: Economica.net reports that on Sunday, Catholic Easter, national electricity consumption dropped to a "dangerously low" level, approaching the historic minimum. Massive photovoltaic energy production, combined with low industrial demand, forced Romania to export massive amounts of energy to maintain the balance of the National Energy System (SEN). This article was generated with the assistance of Aurora AI and editorially verified.