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Slovenia to liberalize fuel prices on national motorways

Xinhua, November 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Slovenian government has taken further step in the liberalization of fuel prices as it announced on Monday to relax the prices of the two most widely sold fuels along motorways across the country.

The deregulation of prices of diesel and regular one at petrol stations along motorways, which will take effect as of Wednesday, marks the next step towards a full liberalisation after the prices of premium petrol and heating oil were fully deregulated last April.

The Slovenian government holds that in the long-term the move would contribute to more competition and thus have positive effects for consumers, the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) reported.

Studies on the prices of premium petrol and heating oil have shown no significant rises since deregulation, Economic Development and Technology Minister Zdravko Pocivalsek explained on Monday.

Although the government has reserved the right to restore price regulation if the liberalisation on the motorways network causes significant price hikes, the minister, however, did not feel this will be necessary.

Moreover, the ministry will launch by the middle of next year a website with fuel prices at all petrol stations across Slovenia, the minister announced.

Meanwhile, the prices of diesel and regular elsewhere around the country will still be adjusted every two weeks in line with a government model that considers global oil prices and the euro-dollar exchange rate.

The maximum margins for the two most widely sold fuels stand at 0.08701 euro per litre for regular and 0.08158 for diesel, according to the STA report.

The relaxing of the diesel and regular prices along motorways was announced in June by the minister, who advocates full liberalization of fuel prices. He could not say on Monday when the next step could be expected.

The Slovenian Chamber of Commerce welcomed the decision, describing it as an important step towards a model of market formed prices that will be comparable to the one in other EU members. Endit