Despite measures by the German government to prevent fuel prices from rising, some fuels such as diesel reached historic record prices on Thursday ahead of the Easter holidays..
The average price of a liter of diesel at gas stations in Germany rose to a record 2.32 euros on Thursday, and in some places even 3 €, the German Automobile Club (ADAC) announced. The total super price is also the highest ever at 2.19 euros.
This surpassed the record set in March 2022, when prices rose due to the war in Ukraine.
The record price increase came just a day after measures against uncontrolled price increases for petroleum products came into effect. Since April 1, gas stations are only allowed to raise prices once a day, at noon.
ADAC criticized the price hike, given that crude oil prices fell in the first half of the week. “The fear that oil companies, which are now only allowed to raise prices once a day, would do so drastically to protect themselves has proven justified,” ADAC said. The latest price hike has increased pressure on the German government, which has been criticized for its weak response to the oil shock.
Currently, the possibility of introducing additional tax breaks for car travel, as well as reducing taxes on energy products, as is the case with several other EU countries, is being discussed.
A few days ago, Poland announced that it would "monitor" and, if necessary, react to the phenomenon at gas stations in the border area with Germany, where there have been shortages in recent days due to the massive arrival of German drivers in Poland, where fuel is much cheaper.
German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (Social Democratic Party of Germany SPD) sent a letter to several ministries on Thursday calling for urgent measures to prevent rising energy prices and inflation.