Facebook users expressed their outrage in the comments of an RTL article in response to the diesel price hike. The new solidarity package agreed by the tripartite saw petrol costs drop by 7.5 cents on Wednesday, yet this price reduction has not become visible for consumers.
Is it a case of a misunderstanding? Petrol prices were indeed reduced by 7.5 cents on Wednesday, but this is because the government agreed to reduce taxes on petrol by €0.075 per litre until 31 July. The government, however, cannot influence the overall market prices. In the case of diesel, although the taxes have been reduced accordingly, the market price has risen, along with the end consumer price.
The 7.5 cent tax reduction will take place regardless of the market price for fuel. The reduction will end from 1 August onwards.
Meanwhile, the price of fuel will continue to increase and decrease in accordance with market prices, which are more volatile than ever. Diesel prices in particular are affected because Europe lacks sufficient diesel refineries, meaning European countries have to rely on international deliveries, the Ministry of Energy confirmed.
