The boss of Lukoil in Romania says that, while Russia gives us oil and natural gas, we can respond with wine and furniture.
On a Bucharest street, packed with embassies, the oil company Lukoil plays the part of a diplomatic representance in Romania, as well as the direct entry of Russian resources in our country.
The first and most visible Russian investor in Romania, Lukoil, increases it's bussines quietly. "Alekperov (Vagit Alekperov, Lukoil president) would not forgive me a conflict with the state", says Constantin Tampiza, president of Lukoil România, reminding that he preffers not to meet with his friends involved in politics because he doesn't want to affect the company's image. Constantin Tampiza is leading Lukoil Romania since 2005 and feels that in the Romaia-Russia relations is like "in a family where the parents argue, but the children cares about both of them".
The Lukoil Romania headquarters is not a modern one, because the boss of the Russian oil says that cutting costs is one of the achievements registered during his term. Lately, Tampiza is facing another problem: he is losing the company's IT specialists. The Lukoil Romania boss says that "it's a tragedy when they leave", but he has on his desk "over 30 CV-s of former ministers from Moldova and some fine Romanian persons". "If the dependence isn't convenient, I give it up"
Constantin Tampiza thinks that President Putin's visit broke the tensions, and now Romanian bussinesman should go to Moscow. "If, until 1990, Romania exported massively in Russia, now it lost this market. It was a time when every office in Moscow was made by Romanian furniture and I ask myself why I can't find Romanian wine in Russia's Capital. I'm not talking about the light industry, and even the oil industry, that had a market value of over a billion dollars, based on the utilities for the oil industry", thinks Tampiza.
As for the European dependence of the Russian resources, he preffers to answer with an advice: "If the dependence isn't convenient, I give it up", says the Lukoil boss, reminding that Russia doesn't afford to stop the energy deliveries. "In Romania, the Lukoil oil will be always present, after we have invested 550 millions euro", adds Tampiza.
COMPETITION
The oil market is full
Constantin Tampiza, Lukoil Romania boss, thinks that the entry of a newcomer on the oil market is almost impossible. "In Romania are being processed over 12 million tons of oil, and 7 end up on the internal market, where is a tough competition, because the export rates are low", says Tampiza. A new player can enter only if it purchases a refinery because, evolving only on the distribution market, will register high costs. A new station costs 1.5 million dollars. EVOLUTION
Resource nationalisation
The raise of the oil quotations fuels the tendency of the producing countries to increase their control on the natural reserves, in the disadvantage of the international companies, according to Reuters commentators. Friday, the oil price reached 117 dollars per baril. On the other hand, Jeroen van der Veer, general director of the Royal Dutch Shell group, thinks that biofuels will not resolve the fuel problem at the global scale.