ZAGREB, 19 October, 2021 - Deputies of opposition parliamentary parties said on Tuesday that the government's decision to cap the retail prices of fuels was a bad move that affected the supply and demand and consequently could lead to market disruptions, and they called for reducing lowering excise duties on fuels.
Stephen Nikola Bartulica of the Homeland Movement party's parliamentary bench criticised the government's measures as being frequently a cause of the problem rather than being a solution.
He wondered why other governments in the EU had not resorted to that measure.
Last week, the government passed a decree limiting the retail price of petrol to HRK 11.10 (€1.48) per litre and the price of diesel to HRK 11.00 (€1.46) per litre for the next 30 days. On that occasion, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that the government had decided "to make use of the option to stabilise petrol and diesel prices over the next 30 days based on the Petroleum and Petroleum Products Market Act."
Siniša Hajdaš Dončić of the SDP club and Marijana Puljak of the Centre and GLAS club urged the government to reduce the excise taxes on the fuels.
Miro Totgergeli of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said that the accusations from the Opposition that the government did nothing to prevent inflation was an attempt to sow panic in the public.
He underscored that household gas and electricity prices would remain unchanged until next spring.
Commenting on the temporary fuel price capping he said that this move brought about peace and stability in the business sector.
