We are sharing a summary of the most important developments in the fuel market recorded over the past month. The market remains highly volatile, strongly influenced by geopolitical factors and government interventions across several European countries.
🔎 1. Increased government intervention in fuel prices
An increasing number of European countries have introduced measures aimed at limiting price increases:
• Austria – temporary price-limitation mechanism (2–30 April), including tax reductions and margin caps
• Czech Republic – daily price cap
• Croatia – starting from May 2026, excise duty refunds must be assessed based on the regulations applicable at that time (in April, excise duty is eliminated)
• Hungary – price cap for domestic vehicles + removal of excise duties (10 March 2026 – 1 May 2026)
• Slovenia – the refundable excise duty rate for Q1 2026 is set at €0.018; the rate for April has not yet been officially published
• Slovakia – the fixed diesel price for international customers has been increased.
Starting from 3 April 2026, the price for standard diesel is €2.063/litre (gross), compared with €2.012/litre previously.
• Spain – temporary measure in place from 22 March 2026 to 30 June 2026: excise duty is no longer refundable and VAT has been reduced from 21% to 10%
⛽ 2. Temporary tax reductions and impact on refunds
• Poland
– VAT reduced from 23% to 8%
– Introduction of a daily price cap
• Italy
– Direct impact: decrease in the refundable excise duty by approximately €0.25/litre (19 March – 7 April)
🚚 3. Increased toll costs in Slovenia
Starting from 1 April 2026, Slovenia has introduced additional charges for external costs related to air pollution and noise:
• Calculated based on: CO₂ class, Euro emission standard, number of axles, and road type
• Significant increases, in some cases exceeding 100% compared with previous tariffs
📈 4. Positive news: expansion of the fuel station network
• Spain (GALP)
– Expansion from 66 to 309 accepted stations
– Additional services available (e.g. car washes at 157 locations)
✅ Conclusion
The fuel market remains highly dynamic, with frequent government interventions and direct impacts on transport costs and operations.