Facing rising fuel prices, drastic measures are already being considered to protect consumers. Saxon CDU parliamentarian Florian Oest has demanded a fixed fuel‑price ceiling. “The current fuel‑price package is insufficient” Oest told the newspaper “Stern”. “We need tax reliefs and a price cap modeled on Poland”. In Poland a weekly government‑set price ceiling applies to gasoline and diesel, alongside cuts to the value‑added and energy taxes.
Oest represents the Görlitz constituency, which borders Poland, and he sees the neighboring country’s regulation in action. “In East Germany and Upper Lusatia we are feeling the international competition from Poland and the Czech Republic” he said. “A look at Poland shows that a fuel‑price ceiling can bring more stability”.
Additionally, the CDU MP proposes temporarily lowering fuel taxes to the EU minimum level and suspending the national CO₂‑pricing scheme. A potential reduction of fuel taxes is also being examined by a Bundestag task force on energy prices, though they plan first to assess the impact of measures already enacted.
Since Wednesday, German fuel prices are allowed to rise only once a day, at 12:00 PM, while reductions can occur at any time. The goal is to curb sharp price swings, and breaches can lead to fines of up to €100,000.
In Poland, the Energy Ministry reported that on Tuesday normal gasoline was capped at 6.16 złoty (about €1.44), premium at 6.76 złoty (≈ €1.58), and diesel at 7.60 złoty (≈ €1.77). Long queues formed at borders and filling stations.