In brief

  • The scheme under which the state refunds farmers part of the excise duty paid on diesel used in agriculture has, for 2026, a value fixed at 714.3 million lei, money from the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture.
  • The Government amended two paragraphs of the 2014 framework decision so that the value of the scheme and the sum actually allocated for payments are identical. Until now the two were regulated separately and could drift out of step.
  • The act has a single article and changes no eligibility condition: who can apply for the aid, for which areas or livestock numbers, and how applications are filed all remain untouched.
Act: Government Decision No. 572/2026
Published: Official Gazette of Romania (Monitorul Oficial) No. 632 of 30 July 2026
In force from: 30 July 2026

The 2026 budget for the state aid on diesel used in agriculture is 714.3 million lei. The Government set the figure through Decision No. 572 of 30 July 2026, published in Official Gazette of Romania No. 632 on the same day, which amends Article 10 of Government Decision No. 1,174/2014. This is the act that funds payments already under way, among them the 155.2 million lei for the first quarter of 2026.

The mechanism has been running since 2014 and is, in essence, a refund. The farmer buys diesel at the full price, with the standard excise duty included, and the state then returns the difference down to the level of the reduced excise duty, for the quantities actually used in farm work. It applies to the crop sector, the livestock sector and land reclamation.

The decision of 30 July has a single article and changes exactly two paragraphs: paragraph (16), which sets the value of the scheme for 2026, and paragraph (13), which establishes the sum allocated for the actual payment of the aid in the same year. Both arrive at the same figure, 714,300.00 thousand lei.

What it changes in practice

The first effect is budgetary. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development now has, stated explicitly in the text of the scheme, the 2026 ceiling for this form of support. Quarterly payments to farmers are made within that sum. A more recent decision, Government Decision no. 731/2026, shows how much is actually refunded at each step of the excise reduction.

The second effect is the alignment of the two paragraphs. The value of the scheme and the sum allocated for payments are legally distinct things: the first is the state aid commitment, the second is the budget appropriation from which the money is actually paid out. When the two do not match, payment delays follow even though the scheme appears to be covered. The decision brings them to the same figure.

The third effect is predictability for farmers. Anyone planning autumn field work knows that the annual ceiling is fixed and that applications filed for the coming quarters will be settled out of that sum.

The fourth effect is procedural. The sum is provided from the state budget within the limits of the budget allocations approved for the ministry for 2026, which means that payment remains conditional on budget appropriations actually being opened, not merely on the wording of the decision.

The fifth effect is the absence of any substantive change. The act does not touch eligibility conditions, the maximum quantities per hectare or per head of livestock, the deadlines for filing applications, or the verification procedure run by the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture. It is strictly an intervention on figures.

What has changed compared with the previous situation

The state aid scheme was set up by Government Decision No. 1,174/2014, published in Official Gazette of Romania No. 965 of 30 December 2014, and has been amended many times since. The structure of Article 10 shows that history in itself: alongside the ordinarily numbered paragraphs, it contains a series of superscript-marked paragraphs added year by year, one for each budget year.

Paragraph (16) is the one dedicated to 2026. It already existed, but with a different value, and the decision of 30 July replaces it with 714,300.00 thousand lei. The act does not reproduce the previous figure, as is customary in Romanian legislative drafting when a text is rewritten in full, so a comparison can only be made by consulting the consolidated version of the 2014 decision.

Paragraph (13) concerns the sum allocated for the payment of the aid in 2026 and is brought to the same value. Amending both at once is the signal that the intervention was made precisely to remove a mismatch between them.

What has not changed deserves to be said just as plainly. The level of the reduced excise duty, the method for calculating eligible quantities, the sectors covered and the application calendar remain those of the existing rules. Farmers have nothing new to do as a result of this decision.

Advantages and disadvantages

What it improves

  • It sets a clear ceiling for 2026, which gives predictability to farmers planning their field work and their diesel spending.
  • It synchronises the value of the scheme with the sum allocated for payments, removing a frequent source of administrative blockages.
  • It is a clean, single-article intervention, with no compliance costs for beneficiaries.
  • It maintains real support for the cost of agricultural production, in a year when the price of fuel remains a significant burden for farms.
  • It does not change the eligibility rules, so applications already filed do not have to be redone.

What remains a problem

  • The text does not show the previous value, so readers cannot tell from the act itself whether the sum has gone up or down without consulting the consolidated version of the 2014 decision.
  • Payment remains conditional on the budget appropriations approved for the ministry, wording that leaves room for delays even with the ceiling fixed.
  • The scheme works on a refund principle, so the farmer fronts the full cost of the excise duty and recovers the money later, with an impact on cash flow.
  • The amendment comes at the end of July, that is after a good part of the farming season, which limits its value as a planning tool.
  • The structure of Article 10, with superscript-marked paragraphs added year after year, makes the text hard to follow for anyone who does not work with it daily.

Practical advice

  1. Check the status of your application with the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture. The annual ceiling is now fixed, and quarterly settlements are made out of that sum.
  2. Keep your diesel purchase documents. They remain the basis for calculating eligible quantities, whatever the budget changes.
  3. Do not confuse the value of the scheme with the sum you will receive. The 714.3 million lei is the national ceiling, split among all beneficiaries, across sectors and quarters.
  4. Plan your cash flow. The scheme works through refunds, so the excise duty is paid in full first and recovered after the application has been checked.
  5. If you want to compare with previous years, consult the consolidated version of Government Decision No. 1,174/2014 on the legislative portal, where all the paragraphs added year by year appear.
  6. Follow the orders issued by the Ministry of Agriculture that set the quantities and the sums per quarter. Those are the acts that turn the ceiling into money actually paid out.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly does Government Decision No. 572/2026 do?
It amends paragraphs (16) and (13) of Article 10 of Government Decision No. 1,174/2014 and sets, for 2026, both the value of the state aid scheme and the sum allocated for its payment at 714,300.00 thousand lei. These are the only two changes in the act.
How much is 714,300.00 thousand lei?
714.3 million lei. The sum is granted from the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
What is the reduced excise duty scheme for diesel used in agriculture?
A state aid scheme set up by Government Decision No. 1,174/2014, under which farmers get back the difference between the standard excise duty paid when buying diesel and the reduced excise duty applicable to diesel used in agriculture, for the quantities actually used in farm work.
Are the eligibility conditions changing?
No. The act deals exclusively with figures. The beneficiaries, the sectors covered, the eligible quantities and the procedure for filing applications all remain unchanged.
Why were two paragraphs amended instead of one?
Because they regulate different things: one sets the value of the state aid scheme, the other the sum allocated for the actual payment during the year. Bringing them to the same figure removes the mismatch between the commitment and the budget appropriation.
What was the previous sum?
The act does not reproduce it, because it rewrites the two paragraphs in full. The comparison can be made by consulting the consolidated version of Government Decision No. 1,174/2014 on the legislative portal.
When will I get the money?
Payments are made quarterly, on the basis of verified applications, within the limits of the budget allocations approved for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for 2026. The ceiling fixed by this decision does not, in itself, guarantee when payment will arrive.
From when does the decision apply?
From 30 July 2026, the date of publication in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I. The decision does not provide for a later entry into force.
What does paragraph (16) mean?
It is a superscript-marked paragraph, added to Article 10 at a later date and dedicated to 2026. The article contains a series of such paragraphs, one for each budget year in which the scheme has been funded.
Where can I check whether my farm is eligible?
With the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture, which administers the applications, and in the text of Government Decision No. 1,174/2014, which sets out the conditions for granting the aid.

Original text of the legal act

The text below is reproduced in Romanian, the official form of publication.

The full text, as published in the Official Gazette of Romania

Official Gazette of Romania no. 632 of 30 July 2026 8 pages PDF, 109 KB the act starts on page 5

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific situations, consult a licensed attorney or tax advisor.