SPD deputy faction leader Armand Zorn criticized the representatives of the petroleum industry as “unacceptable and contradictory” during the Spritpreis‑Taskforce meeting. “What we want is that world‑market prices should be reflected at the petrol station” he told RTL and ntv. “They have, however, not explained why prices at the pump don’t fall when the world market does”.
Zorn feels the current situation is unfair and will push the fuel‑price package forward. This includes adopting the Austrian model for pricing at petrol stations and increasing the powers of the Federal Cartel Office. “The cartel office should be able soon to act quickly and impose sanctions if it looks like an unfair process is taking place” he said.
Currently, the Federal Cartel Office sees no way to curb the rising fuel prices. President Andreas Mundt explained on RBB‑Inforadio that the pricing by petroleum groups is highly complex. The agency first has to understand the reasons behind it: “We need to discover what is driving these prices ourselves so we know whether to start a procedure or not”. The office cannot set prices directly, but it can intervene if firms are found to be coordinating: “We are not a price‑setting authority-many people don’t realize that. If we uncover agreements, we can penalise the petroleum companies and stop the practice”.
Mundt added that there is no indication that the companies are colluding. “I think they don’t need it. They can always see each other’s prices because the markets are so transparent” he said.