The price of diesel in 18 EU member states is less than in Malta

In spite of the latest reductions in the prices of petrol and diesel, the price of diesel in Malta is still higher than that of 18 EU Member States according to the European Commission’s Weekly Oil Bulletin of Monday, 3rd October, which gives the consumer prices of petroleum products inclusive of duties and taxes.

The 18 EU countries where the price of diesel is cheaper are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

There are five EU Member States – Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Poland – where the price of diesel is less than €1!

In Luxembourg, the price of diesel is 93.5 cents, which is 20.5 cents less than in Malta, or 18 per cent less.

There are 16 EU member states where the price of petrol is cheaper than Malta’s. These are the same 18 EU countries where the price of diesel is less than in Malta with the exception of France, Germany and Greece, but including Cyprus.

In Bulgaria the price of petrol is 97.4 cents per litre, or 29.6 cents less, that is 23.3 per cent less.

In which EU member state does a Prime Minister talk about the prices of petrol and diesel? What control does the Government of Malta have on the international price of oil?

How can the government claim that the petrol and diesel market in Malta is liberalized, when it boasts that it is reducing the prices of petrol and diesel?

In which EU member states does the government own the facilities for the storage of petrol and diesel?

In which EU member state the consumers have no idea what brand of petrol or diesel they are purchasing?

In which EU Member State the filling stations give no indication of the brand of petrol or diesel that they are selling?

The dominant position of the state-owned company – Enemed Company Limited – needs to be eliminated as soon as possible.

It is useless for the government to boast about its pro-business policies. In the petrol and diesel market the government is embracing the traditional socialist ownership policy, which runs contrary to the EU free market regulations.

It is surprising that the European Commission lifted its infringement procedures against Malta in the case of competition in the petroleum sector, simply because the government enacted a legal notice, without waiting to see how it was going to be implemented.

What is the European Commission waiting for to send its representative(s) to take a look at the market for petrol and diesel? How can Malta assume the Presidency of the EU while completely ignoring the EU’s competition rules in the petroleum sector?

The list of companies that are supposed to be servicing the petroleum sector is meaningless. The majority of these are simply trading in bunkering services.

There are no other companies importing, storing and selling petrol in Malta other than Enemed.

Everybody knows what happened in the case of the attempted reduction in the price of diesel in Rabat in January of last year, and the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) has rendered itself useless.

The Malta Automobile Club maintains that the importation, storage and sale of petrol and diesel should not be government business, and the private sector should be allowed to take over and compete on a level playing field.

Alfred A. Farrugia Malta Automobile Club