In Austria, fuel prices are in some cases well below the eurozone average. (archive picture)
Keystone
In Austria, fuel prices may only be increased once a day for the next three years, namely at 12.00 noon. Reductions, on the other hand, will remain possible at any time.
Economics Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer extended the corresponding fuel price regulation until the end of 2028, as the Austrian news agency APA reported on Monday. The regulation would have expired at the end of the year. The extension ensures stable rules, strengthens competition and keeps prices noticeably lower, said the minister.
According to Hattmannsdorfer, Austrian fuel prices are noticeably below the eurozone average, which he attributes to the regulation, among other things. On average, one pays 17.7 cents less per liter of Euro-Super in Austria. With a difference of 5.7 cents, a liter of diesel is marginally cheaper than the eurozone average.
Criticism from the Minister of Finance
Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer, on the other hand, recently criticized the fact that falling prices on the international markets were not being passed on in Austria. He is therefore threatening countermeasures.
The Austrian model obliges petrol station operators to report price changes to the regulatory authority E-Control. This authority operates a public price comparison calculator (www.spritpreisrechner.at ). Consumers can use this to compare prices in their area.