# Wood heating and social support in Hungary and Romania

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/wood-heating-and-social-support-in-hungary-and-romania
> Updated: 2026-09-26T05:00:53.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 2.

In Hungary and Romania, governments are implementing measures to manage wood heating costs and support vulnerable populations ahead of the winter season.

In Hungary, the government has frozen firewood prices at early 2026 levels at state-owned forestry enterprises and doubled the budget for its social firewood program from 5 billion to 10 billion forints. To further assist citizens, the VAT on firewood has been reduced from 27 percent to 5 percent. While the state is also preparing an afforestation program, critics such as filmmaker Balázs Szendőfi have raised concerns about increased logging in the Mátra and Bükk regions, specifically regarding the harvesting of healthy oak forests and the impact on protected insect larvae.

In Romania, efforts are focused on modernizing heating systems for the 3.5 million households that rely on wood. Initiatives aim to support the voluntary replacement of 250,000 inefficient systems with modern equipment to reduce smoke emissions. On a local level, the Galați Local Council has approved a program to distribute free firewood to vulnerable citizens, including single pensioners and low-income families, using wood sourced from public domain cuttings and waste.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-26: Romania focuses on wood heating modernization and social assistance

Romania is focusing on modernizing wood heating systems to improve efficiency. Meanwhile, local authorities in Galați are providing free firewood to approximately 252 vulnerable households for the 2026-2027-冬.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/romania-focuses-on-wood-heating-modernization-and-social-assistance

### 2026-09-04: Hungary freezes firewood prices and expands social support program

The Hungarian government is freezing state-owned firewood prices and doubling social firewood funding, sparking environmental concerns over increased logging in the Mátra and Bükk mountain regions.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/hungary-freezes-firewood-prices-and-expands-social-support-program

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Cite as: Wood heating and social support in Hungary and Romania. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/wood-heating-and-social-support-in-hungary-and-romania