Bucharest City Hall was unable to proceed with a scheduled extraordinary session on Monday, February 23, 2026, due to insufficient attendance by municipal councilors, according to reports. The session, intended to address critical issues surrounding the city’s heating supply and energy pricing, failed to reach a quorum with between 23 and 28 councilors present, either in person or online.
Sector 4 Mayor Daniel Băluță, also the Bucharest PSD (Social Democratic Party) leader, announced that social democrats would enter a strike until the general mayor’s specialist department fulfills its duties. Băluță stated the PSD group will convene another extraordinary session on Wednesday to revisit the same agenda. “We will not yield. Tomorrow, we will convene another session, with the same topic. Until the general mayor’s specialist department does its duty, the PSD councilor group – and I appeal to other political parties to do the same – will go on strike. We will not be present until this injustice is rectified,” Băluță said, as reported by local news outlets.
Băluță called for the immediate resignation of the city hall’s general secretary and all others deemed responsible for failing to comply with the Administrative Code, hindering the timely preparation of documents necessary for the session. He also indicated the PSD intends to file criminal complaints for abuse of office against those alleged to have created an “organized criminal group” within the Bucharest City Hall.
The proposed legislation at the heart of the dispute concerns the pricing of thermal energy. Specifically, it stipulates that if Termoenergetica and ELCEN, Bucharest’s primary energy providers, fail to deliver hot water and heating to contracted temperatures, residents should receive a proportional reduction in their bills. Băluță initially announced the PSD’s intention to introduce this measure to the General Council of Bucharest earlier in February, responding to complaints of inadequate heating service.
The agenda for Monday’s session included a draft decision to amend the existing regulations regarding the local price of thermal energy billed to residents by Compania Municipală Termoenergetica București S.A., and a draft decision concerning the transfer of street administration from the General Council to the Sector 4 Local Council. The first draft stipulated that thermal energy should be supplied to the population at the contractual parameters outlined in the updated supply diagram, and mandated Termoenergetica to update this diagram within 90 days of the regulation’s enactment.
Current legislation already provides a mechanism for adjusting bills for hot water and heating if the supplied temperature falls below contractual standards, according to Termoenergetica. However, Băluță and the PSD argue for a more proactive and enforceable system.
Bucharest Mayor Ciprian Ciucu responded to the PSD’s actions, dismissing them as “political circus” and “irresponsible populism.” In a Facebook post, Ciucu asserted that the PSD’s proposal is “inapplicable” and a “masquerade,” accusing them of exploiting a genuine issue – the poor state of the city’s heating system – for political gain. He further claimed the proposal could destabilize the system and potentially lead to its collapse.
Ciucu detailed several legal and contractual obstacles to the PSD’s proposal, citing the need for re-approval from the Competition Council and ANRE (National Energy Regulatory Authority), as well as amendments to the delegation contract managed by ADITBI. He warned that failure to address these issues could invalidate the proposed changes and jeopardize investments in the city’s heating infrastructure, including 5 billion lei in government funding allocated for modernization projects. Ciucu also refuted accusations of inaction, stating that Termoenergetica had already submitted proposed legislative changes to ANRE on February 5, 2026, but no further action had been taken by the regulatory body.
