Romanian Transporters Request 3 Mo Road Toll Exemption

"Because of the world economic crisis, corroborated with a decrease in Romanian production capacities and the massive limitations of exports and imports, some 45-50% of Romanian transport companies are currently on the brink of bankruptcy, because of unpaid leasing, commercial loans not covered and overdue taxes," the federation said in an open letter sent Thursday to Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu.

The federation added that, since the introduction of the road toll, transporters only used highways in insignificant amounts, while the infrastructure is flawed and there are many traffic restrictions, thus, compared to other transporters in the EU, they face more costs.

In addition, the transporters said, cargo runs are reduced to a minimum during the winter.

"The economic side of Romanian road transportation is mostly built on local capital, and it is the sector with the largest contribution to the state budget. Bankruptcy among these companies would throw over 150,000 people into unemployment. (…) The road toll represents an additional cost that «weighs heavily» on the backs of transporters," FORT said.

"The measure would not have a major impact on the state budget, not to the extent of 45-50% of companies going bankrupt," the letter said.