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Hungary to consider fuel price intervention, states economy minister

Hungary's government will think about whether to implement lower fuel rates after an evaluation by the Central Statistics Workplace (KSH) of regional typical rate levels, Economy Minister Marton Nagy informed company daily Vilaggazdasag.

Nagy recently put pressure on fuel suppliers to cut gas station costs closer to the main European average as part of broader government price-setting intervention after the worst inflationary surge in the European Union.

The government's patience is going out ... We believe that regional fuel costs are 7% to 9% higher than the local average, Nagy stated in the interview.

The minister called the representatives of Hungary's Gas Association and oil and gas group MOL to a meeting last Thursday after gas rates in Hungary rose to 642 forints ($ 1.75) per liter, above the local average.

The KSH will publish fuel costs and averages in neighbouring nations this month, Nagy stated in the interview.

After that the federal government will have the ability to decide about whether to intervene in the fuel market or not, he stated.

Hungary's federal government scrapped its fuel price cap in December 2022 after an absence of imports and panic buying led to sustain lacks and assured it would intervene again in the market if fuel rates increased above the regional average.

(source: Reuters)