ZAGREB, 20 June 2022 - The government has decided to cap fuel prices at petrol stations that are not located on highways, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday after a government conference call meeting.

Thus one litre of Eurodiesel at petrol stations that are not located on highways will cost HRK 13.08 while a litre of Eurosuper 95 petrol will be sold at HRK 13.50.

Blue-dyed diesel will cost a maximum HRK 9.45 per litre.

The government decree capping fuel prices, to go into force on Tuesday, refers to 94% of petrol stations in the country.

It will be in force for the next two weeks.

The decree does not refer to premium fuels.

If the government had not acted, petrol would cost HRK 14.57 per litre as of Tuesday, while diesel would cost HRK 14.06 and blue-dyed diesel HRK 10.93, Plenković said, adding that petrol stations on highways would sell petrol and diesel at those prices.

The PM added that owing to the measures taken by the government so far, the price of a litre of petrol had been lowered by HRK 2.45, while the prices of diesel and blue-dyed diesel had been lowered by HRK 3.56 and 2.38 respectively.

(€1 = HRK 7.524861)

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ZAGREB, 8 June 2022 - As of Wednesday, Eurosuper 95 is sold at most petrol stations in Croatia at a price of HRK 13.50 per litre, which is HRK 0.36 fewer than on Tuesday, and the price of Eurodizel has gone down by HRK 0.06 to HRK 13.08, following the government's decision to additionally reduce excise taxes on oil products.

On Monday, the Andrej Plenković cabinet decided to additionally reduce excise taxes on oil products - by an additional HRK 0.40 per litre for petrol, which amounts to a total excise cut of HRK 0.80, and by an additional HRK 0.20 for diesel, which amounts to a total cut of HRK 0.40. The government also cut by an additional HRK 0.10 the margin of traders in oil products for petrol, diesel and blue-dyed diesel.

According to data on the website of the Economy and Sustainable Development Ministry and the cijenegoriva.info portal, the price of Eurosuper 95 at petrol stations operated by Ina, Petrol, Crodux, Tifon and some other distributors is HRK 13.50 per litre. Eurodizel costs HRK 13.08 per litre.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 2 June 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday announced that the government would reduce excise duties or margins if necessary due to an announced significant increase in fuel prices as of next Tuesday.

Web news portals reported on Thursday that as of next week, the price of all diesel fuels will increase by HRK 0.90 per litre, while the price of petrol will go up by about HRK 0.70 per litre.

"We have the legal basis to intervene as regards margins and excise duties, we have already done it. There is still room in that regard and this afternoon the inner cabinet will discuss the situation. We will hear the assessments of the ministries of economy and finance and make the best decisions for Croatian citizens," the PM said.

Asked if excise duties were on the agenda, he said that excise duties and margins are the two elements in which the government can intervene.

At most petrol stations in Croatia, a litre of Eurosuper 95 petrol has been selling for HRK 13.86 since Tuesday, which is HRK 0.03 more than on Monday while the price of Eurodiesel was HRK 0.22 dearer.

Hina's source from energy circles estimates that fuel price increases, including major ones, are possible as long as the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine lasts. The source adds, however, that the price increase announced for next week can hardly be justified with the latest package of EU sanctions against Russia, because its effects, i.e. a partial cessation of crude oil imports from Russia, can only be expected in a few months' time.

Retailers and suppliers should be asked why they are reacting so quickly to announcements of what might happen, the source said. He added that Croatia is not really dependent on crude oil or oil product deliveries from Russia, because most of its supplies arrive by sea.

The retailers and suppliers contacted by Hina did not want to talk about prices, hence the new prices will, as usual, be known on Monday to take effect on Tuesday.

For more, check out our politics section.

April the 19th, 2022 - Inflation is still causing tremendous issues across the board in the Republic of Croatia, and rising Croatian fuel prices have been one of the most talked about problems over the last few weeks.

This morning, Croatian fuel prices shot up once again after having fallen to more respectable levels a couple of weeks ago. This morning, diesel in particular is 28 lipa more expensive than it was last night. Here are the new prices if you want to fill your tank in this countru as of today.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatian fuel prices on sale across the country's many fuel stations has risen once again since midnight.

One litre of Eurosuper 95, which was below 12 kuna last week, now costs 12.19 kuna. In the premium version, the price has risen from 13.16 to 13.67 kuna. A full 50-litre fuel tank is as such 11 kuna more expensive now than it was last night.

A full diesel tank, on the other hand, is 12 and a half kuna more expensive than it was yesterday. A litre of diesel is 28 lipa more expensive this morning than it was at midnight last night and costs 12.70 kuna, while in its premium variants, it costs over 14 kuna.

Depending on the point of sale, a litre of autogas now stands between 6.89 kuna and 7.19 kuna as of this morning.

For more on Croatian fuel prices and inflation as this fluid situation changes, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

April the 4th, 2022 - Croatian fuel prices should be finally set to drop tomorrow after last week's hike which came as a very unwelcome surprise to drivers.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, following on from last week's significant and entirely unwelcome increase in Croatian fuel prices, there's finally a little bit of good news for the nation's drivers. From tomorrow on, Croatian fuel prices will be lower, but they will still not be able to compensate for the increase from last week.

As such, the prices of regulated Eurodiesel in Croatia should be about 80 cents lower, while Eurosuper 95 petrol should be about 35 cents cheaper. This means that one litre of Eurodiesel should cost around 12.70 kuna, while a litre of Eurosuper should cost around 12.10 kuna. There was a significant rise in Croatian fuel prices last week. Petrol rose in price by 61 lipa, and diesel did the same by as much as 1.48 kuna, 24sata writes.

Anonymous activists announced that last night, some fuel stations here in the City of Zagreb had stickers with the image of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic stuck on them, as well as a derogatory message.

"We're aware that the growth of Croatian fuel prices is being influenced by many factors, but also Andrej Plenkovic's government has not done everything it could have to curb the rage in prices. They reduced VAT on some energy sources, but they didn't do the same with fuel, just as they didn't reduce excise duties as much as they could have, but only by a miserable 20-40 lipa. We demand a stronger reaction from the government, a reduction in levies and greater relief. We'll continue this action over the coming days when we intend to present ourselves to the public,'' the group of activists called the Boys and Girls of Zagreb's Asphalt ", 24sata writes.

For more, make sure to check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 17 March 2022 - The government adopted a regulation on Thursday aimed at curbing the fuel price hike for distributors which will be in force until the end of the year, significantly reducing the environmental levy from HRK 0.30 to just HRK 0.01 per megajoules (MJ) for omitting to add biofuel on the market.

Reducing the levy from HRK 0.30 to 0.01 per MJ will result in a HRK 0.50 decrease per litre for consumers.

According to the incumbent regulation, if a distributor/supplier of petrol and diesel fuel does not add a mandatory minimum share of biofuel, they were obliged to pay a green levy to the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency.

Economy and Sustainable Development Ministry State Secretary Mario Šiljeg explained that the intention was to stabilise fuel prices in the aftermath of uncontrolled price hikes on the oil market, primarily caused by disruptions in supplies due to the Ukraine crisis.

The government also amended the regulation to provide additional protection to consumers, by intervening in the formula that determines the highest retail price of oil products which also takes into account the price related to the costs of transport and handling biofuel.

Fuel prices increased again on Tuesday with "Eurosuper 95" costing HRK 13 per litre which was an overnight jump of HRK 0.82 per litre. The price of Eurodiesel jumped by HRK 1.40 per litre while diesel premium price increased by HRK 0.15 per litre.

The government expects fuel prices to go down next week.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 15 March 2022 - As of Tuesday, Eurosuper 95 is sold at most petrol stations in Croatia at a price of HRK 13 per litre, which is HRK 0.82 more than on Monday, the price of Eurodiesel has gone up by HRK 1.40 while premium diesel fuels cost more than HRK 15 per litre.

According to data on the website of the Economy and Sustainable Development Ministry and the cijenegoriva.info portal, the price of Eurosuper 95 at petrol stations operated by Ina, Petrol, Crodux, Lukoil and some other distributors is HRK 13 per litre, having gone up from HRK 12.18 per litre.

The price increase of Eurodiesel is slightly higher, and at most petrol stations it is sold at HRK 13.91 per litre, having previously been sold at HRK 12.51 per litre. Premium diesel fuels are sold at more than HRK 15 per litre.

Last week the government decided to lock margins on petroleum product transactions and temporarily reduce excise duties on diesel and gasoline in order to lower fuel prices.

As a result, the total margin on diesel and petrol was locked at HRK 0.75 per litre, and at HRK 0.50 per litre for blue-dyed diesel.

Amendments to legislation on excise duties have reduced excise duties by HRK 0.20 per litre of unleaded gasoline for 90 days, and the reduction for diesel is HRK 0.40 per litre.

The government's assessment was that based on those measures, the price growth of Eurosuper and Eurodiesel would be between HRK 0.80 and HRK 1.20 per litre, while without the measures the real market increase in prices would have been around HRK 2.

(€1 = HRK 7.567663)

March 14th, 2022 - Soaring fuel prices have left some Croats with no choice but to head over the border to Hungary where fuel is significantly cheaper

There is a small Hungarian town called Letenje, located right next to the Croatian border. Formerly known as a shopping mecca, the town is nowadays visited by Croatian guests for one specific purpose: filling up their fuel tanks. Fuel is significantly cheaper in Hungary compared to the current prices in Croatia, writes HRT, whose reporters talked to Croatian customers at a petrol station in Letenje.

‘I come from a village five kilometres away from the border, fuel is three kuna cheaper here so we save 150 kuna per tank, then we go grocery shopping; it makes a difference’, said Ivan Kranjčec from Donji Kraljevac.

‘I came here because people are saying it’s cheaper, it’s my first time here’, said Martina Mlinarec from Čakovec.

‘A full tank, to the top, 60 to 70 litres’, said Petar from Čakovec about his purchase.

Lower fuel prices have also been attracting foreign truck drivers as of late, leading some petrol stations to limit the purchase to 100 litres per customer. Nevertheless, yesterday’s crowds had Hungarian petrol stations running out of fuel.

Apart from Croats, Hungarian petrol stations are visited by customers from Slovenia and Austria. Only recently, the Hungarian oil and gas company MOL has been selling 5 million litres of fuel a day, whereas now they sell 15 million litres per day.

Due to the large influx of foreign customers, Hungary imposed restrictions on Friday.

‘According to the new regulations, drivers of foreign trucks over 3.5 tons are no longer allowed to buy fuel at our petrol stations at a subsidised price. They have to pay the market price’, said Andras Orosz, a spokesman for MOL.

Owners of personal vehicles can still buy fuel at the more affordable price and without restrictions. Hungary's largest oil company claims that there’s no shortage to worry about.

Inflation in Hungary recently reached its highest level in 15 years, so the government froze the prices of energy, food and mortgage loans. Many have called this a pre-election move of Viktor Orban, as parliamentary elections are to be held in Hungary in April.

Either way, Croats will likely continue to flock to Hungary to refill their fuel tanks, despite having to wait in long queues.

March 8, 2022 - The government has made a decision that fixes the margin of oil traders and temporarily reduces excise duties on diesel and gasoline to mitigate rising prices. Thus, as of today, new fuel prices at Croatian gas stations are more expensive. You can follow the latest fuel prices on this page.

The new price of regular diesel is now HRK 12.51, and Class Plus diesel HRK 13.56. Ordinary petrol, ie Eurosuper 95 now costs 12.18 kuna, while Eurosuper 100 costs 13.11 kuna.

Recall, the government has made a decision which fixes the margin of oil traders and temporarily reduces excise duties on diesel and gasoline to mitigate rising prices, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in the introduction to the government session, writes N1.

"Fixing the price could lead to the closure of some gas stations"

If the retail price fix was extended, many distributors in the market would face the situation of operating at a loss, which could lead to the closure of some gas stations, he added.

"In order to avoid such a situation, we will enable their further business by fixing the total margin for diesel and gasoline at 0.75 kunas per liter and 0.50 kuna per liter for blue diesel," said Plenković.

Excise duties and margins will be valid for 90 days

In addition, he added, the amendments to the Decree on Excise Duties will reduce the number of excise duties on diesel and gasoline by 90 lipas per liter of unleaded motor gasoline and 20 lipas per liter of diesel fuel for a period of 90 days.

"In this way, we want to contribute to reducing the price shock on our citizens, and according to our calculations, this will lead to a reduction in state budget revenues from excise duties on energy over 150 million kunas," said Plenković

According to government estimates, the new measures will keep the price increase per liter of fuel, whether diesel or petrol, which would amount to around two kunas in real market trends, from an increase of 80 lipas to 1.20 kuna.

For more, check out our politics section.

January the 21st, 2022 - Rising Croatian fuel prices was an issue for drivers several weeks ago, more precisely back at the tail end of 2021, and the government had to step in and place a cap on the price of fuel in order to make the situation sustainable. It looks as if the same is going to need to be done again with a new packet of measures.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the government is set to compile a new package of measures to reduce the impact of rising energy prices on people if prices continue to rise, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced on Wednesday.

''In the case of price increases, in addition to limiting Croatian fuel prices, we'll raise the fees provided to socially disadvantaged households, and when it comes to the price of electricity and gas, we're going to be relying on HEP, which can take over and reduce the impact on people and households,'' announced Plenkovic in response to a question on the matter asked by Mirela Ahmetovic (SDP).

As the third element, PM Plenkovic mentioned VAT, which amounts to 13 percent for electricity and 25 percent for gas. He explained that the rise in energy prices was caused by supply disruptions, the ongoing disruption as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and extremely high demand.

"Households across the Republic of Croatia haven't yet seen an increase in electricity prices and will not experience them until April the 1st, and the same is true with the price of gas," he assured.

Earlier on Wednesday, he announced that the state could step in and limit Croatian fuel prices again, if prices continue to rise next week.

When it comes to the price of Croatian fuel prices, the government limited the price to approximately 11 kuna just three months ago and kept that price for a period of two months, thus avoiding a blow to driver's wallets and bank accounts.

"After that, we left things to the market, and yet we noticed that the current fuel prices are higher once again. If we have an estimate that the price will continue to rise next week, we will once again step in and place a cap on Croatian fuel prices, with the exception of premiums,'' concluded Plenkovic.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.