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Hungary government to talk about fuel prices again in spite of current falls, minister says

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet will talk about fuel rates again on Wednesday regardless of a recent fall in rates driven by federal government pressure on traders to line up costs with levels in other places in the region, the economy minister stated.

Orban's federal government ditched a fuel price cap in December 2022 after an absence of imports and panic purchasing resulted in scarcities, however earlier this year raised the possibility of another intervention if fuel rates go beyond the central European average.

Shares in Hungarian energy group MOL have actually fallen about 1% considering that the federal government first floated the idea of a fuel market intervention last month, underperforming the Budapest benchmark index, which scaled record highs this week.

MOL Chief Executive Zsolt Hernadi has actually said he was concerned that state intervention would impact the company's plans, echoing concerns expressed by German financiers about growing government intervention in a study last month.

Orban's federal government, which commanded the worst inflationary surge in the European Union last year, gave fuel traders two weeks in mid-April to cut rates to the central European average or face government intervention.

We have significantly decreased diesel and gas costs in both the wholesale and the retail section, site index.hu pointed out Economy Minister Marton Nagy as saying on Tuesday.

But the federal government will go over the issue once again on Wednesday, Nagy was priced estimate as stating, adding that Orban's. cabinet sought to wrestle down fuel costs in a quote to ease. care amongst homes burned by last year's inflation surge.

We will safeguard the population with all our might from high. wartime fuel costs, said Nagy, who will hold a news conference. on government decisions on fuel rates on Wednesday, organization. site portfolio.hu reported, pointing out an invitation to the. occasion.

Fuel price margins had actually broadened given that Hungary's cost cap was. abandoned, the reserve bank stated last month, going beyond not just. their previous levels but likewise typical levels seen elsewhere in. central Europe.

Deputy Governor Barnabas Virag said he thought any. intervention that moves the marketplace towards a long lasting and. sustainable decrease in these margins, setting fuel costs on a. sustainable and long lasting lower course was warranted.

(source: Reuters)