The Bolivian Government declared an energy and social emergency nationwide due to fuel shortages, inflationary pressure, and a lack of dollars. This will enable the implementation of exceptional measures for one year to guarantee supply and sustain economic activity, local media reported. According to the Argentine News Agency, the measure was adopted by President Rodrigo Paz Pereira through Supreme Decree 5517, which in an extraordinary manner authorizes the private import and marketing of petroleum derivatives at import price, under a non-discriminatory access regime to the sector's infrastructure. According to the Executive, the action aims to mitigate the impact of the crisis on the population, in a context marked by a shortage of foreign currency and external restrictions. 'This Supreme Decree aims to establish and adopt exceptional measures aimed at guaranteeing the supply of fuels and energy; to reactivate production, with the purpose of returning the quality of life to Bolivians, and to guarantee the comprehensive reconstruction of the Bolivian economy,' the decree states. The measure is partly a response to the 'extreme deficit' of diesel, a key fuel for transport, agribusiness, and strategic sectors, which is why the Bolivian Government suspended diesel from the list of controlled substances and eliminated for one year the requirement for prior authorization from the General Directorate of Controlled Substances. Additionally, the decree establishes the temporary withdrawal of diesel from the Customs Import Tariff, with the objective of facilitating its entry into the country and thus reducing supply bottlenecks. In this way, the National Customs and the National Hydrocarbons Agency are instructed to adapt their procedures within a maximum of five business days, while the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy must regulate access to the sector's infrastructure within a period of up to 15 days.
