Filipović: Significant reduction in fuel prices from Tuesday

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Davor Filipović confirmed on Friday that there will be a significant reduction in fuel prices starting from Tuesday.

– Considering the trading of gasoline and diesel in the Mediterranean market over the past two weeks, there will be a noticeable decrease in the prices of both gasoline and diesel, as well as blue diesel. This means that from Tuesday, our citizens will have more favorable fuel prices – stated Filipović after the Government session.

He mentioned that he cannot yet provide specific figures ‘because trading is ongoing today as well’, but if today were excluded, dizel would decrease by 72 lipa per liter, plavi dizel by 71 lipa, and the price of a liter of benzina would be lower by 96 or 97 lipa, revealed Filipović.

– We will see what happens after today’s trading, but in any case, it is good news – he stated.

Let us recall that according to the last Government regulation that came into effect on December 6 and which pertains to a two-week period, the basic gasoline eurosuper 95 is sold for a maximum of 10.60 kuna per liter, eurodizel for 11.59 kuna, and plavi dizel for 7.95 kuna per liter.

Constitutional complaint regarding the determination of maximum retail prices of petroleum products

In the closed part of the Government session, there was also a response to the Constitutional Court regarding the proposal to initiate a procedure for assessing the constitutionality and legality of regulations on determining the maximum retail prices of petroleum products, so journalists asked Filipović who filed the constitutional complaint and on what basis. He revealed that it is the Udruzi malih distributera goriva.

– They are of course dissatisfied with the fact that we have reduced margins. However, everything we do in the context of fuel prices is aimed at helping our citizens and entrepreneurs get through this crisis as easily as possible – stated Filipović.

He reminded that the price of a liter of diesel and gasoline is about two kuna lower due to Government interventions.

– They do not like this, but we are doing everything in accordance with positive legal regulations to protect our citizens, and we will continue to do so – Filipović emphasized.

On Tuesday in Brussels, the energy ministers of the European Union failed to reach a final agreement on capping natural gas prices across the Union, and a new extraordinary meeting has been scheduled for Monday, December 19.

Filipović expects that an agreement on a ‘reasonable price’ will be reached then, in order to send a message to all market speculators that citizens and entrepreneurs come first. The current price per megawatt hour is around 140 euros, and Filipović hopes, which is also the stance of some other countries, that the upper limit for gas prices will be as low as possible. Thus, looking towards a compromise, an acceptable price for Filipović would be in the range of 150 to 180 euros.

– Germany, for example, insists that it should be above 220 euros. Therefore, it is important to find a compromise and send a message to the market about what a reasonable price is – said Filipović.