Justizministerin Stefanie Hubig (SPD) says she wants the planned rule that will allow fuel stations to raise their prices only once a day to be in effect for at least a year.
“First of all, I would say we need this rule now, during the crisis, the Iran war” she told the “Berlin Playbook” podcast by Politico on Friday. “I expect we will keep it for at least a year”.
She sees the instrument as useful even beyond the current crisis. “Yes, I think it’s a good tool” she added. Austria has recently extended a similar rule until 2028.
The goal is more predictability and transparency. She hopes the new rule will give consumers a clearer sense of timing, allowing them to decide whether to refuel early or later and to compare prices more effectively.
Implementation is now in the hands of Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU). Hubig said that the work is being carried out “with high speed”.
Hubig rejects the idea of a fuel discount, such as the one the governing coalition introduced in summer 2022, as an alternative. She called it “very costly for the state and taxpayers” and noted that it was never certain the discount would be passed on in full to consumers.