After Croatia, Hungary became, this Monday, the second EU country to set a maximum value on fuel.
Viktor OrbánHungarian Prime Minister, announced that the prices of fuels will have a maximum value from this Tuesday.
The objective is protect consumers of the rise in oil prices due to the war in the Middle East, said in a video posted on the social network Facebook: “We are introducing a protected price for gasoline and diesel, above which retail prices cannot rise.”
Hungary was the second country in the European Union, after Croatiaannouncing the lifting of a cap on fuel prices. This Balkan country announced that it will limit the maximum selling price of fuel from Tuesday, for the next two weeks, to 1.50 euros per liter for Eurosuper gasoline and 1.55 euros for diesel.
A measure covers individuals, farmers, transporters and businesspeoplebut will be applied only for vehicles registered and licensed in Hungary (in other words, forget the idea of filling up in Budapest…).
Orbán stated that the Government also decided to release state reserves to guarantee the supply of fuel, following the blockade of the pipeline Druzhbawhich crosses Ukraine, in addition to the impact on prices caused by the war in the Middle East.
Hungary and Slovakia accuse Ukraine of deliberately delaying the reopening of this pipeline, which Kiev claims was damaged by Russian airstrikes in late January.
Before, in another video, Orbán asked the EU to lift sanctions against the Russian oil and gas face to the impact caused by the war in the Middle East.
The nationalist leader, a ally close to the Russian President, Vladimir Putinregularly criticizes EU sanctions against Russia, having already used his veto power to guarantee exceptions.
Hungary had already limited fuel prices between November 2021 and June 2022 to contain rising inflation. The measure was abandoned due to hoarding at gas stations.
In France, where diesel reached two euros per liter this Monday, the French government, pressured by the opposition, seeks a solution to rising fuel prices, but refuses, for now, public aid for the purchase of fuel, referring to the effects on the finances of a State with deficit budgets for several years.
The rise in energy prices reflects the worsening of the situation in the Middle East following the attack by Israel and the United States on Iran, on February 28, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil production and almost 20% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes.
