Slovenia Sets Fuel Buying Limit for Drivers

Slovenia has become the first European Union country to introduce fuel rationing.

The move comes after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, which led to retaliatory attacks on their allies in the Gulf, affecting major world energy markets.

Rising fuel prices have hit many countries. In Slovenia, this has led to “fuel tourism,” where drivers from neighboring countries, especially Austria, cross the border to buy cheaper, regulated fuel.

Under the new rules, private drivers in Slovenia can buy up to 50 litres of fuel per day. Businesses and farmers are allowed up to 200 litres per day. Some fuel stations had already introduced their own limits, like Hungary’s MOL, which set a 30-litre cap at its stations.

“Let me reassure you that there is enough fuel in Slovenia, the warehouses are full and there will be no fuel shortages,” said Prime Minister Robert Golob at the weekend.

Under his government’s new measures, the nationwide restrictions are to be policed by the petrol stations themselves, with employees required to make sure that customers do not stock up on more than the allowed amount of fuel.

The government is also encouraging fuel retailers to introduce stricter limits for foreign drivers.

The price for a litre of Euro-super 95 petrol in Austria is pushing towards €1.80 [£1.56; $2.09], with diesel closer to the €2.00 mark. In Slovenia it is currently held at a maximum of €1.47 and €1.53 respectively, although that is set to rise on Tuesday.

A lorry driver at Sentilj, close to Slovenia’s northern border with Austria, was quoted by local media as wondering whether his country was “at war” as he arrived at a petrol station that had completely run out of fuel.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” the man added. The stories emerging from the region suggest that he was not alone in his discombobulation.

For some Austrian drivers, the price difference is enough to justify a cross-border hop.

The far-right Austrian politician Herbert Kickl, the leader of the Freedom Party, has been using his refuelling trips as political propaganda, posting a photo of a queue of Austrian-plated vehicles waiting to fill up at a Slovenian petrol station.

“Isn’t this sad,” he asked, “that we live in a country where it has become necessary for many to go abroad so that life is cheaper?”

Some Slovenians view the visitors as a nuisance, causing queues and shortages for locals. Others, however, are more welcoming – noting that a good proportion of “fuel tourists” make a day of it, eating in local restaurants and spending time in the shops.

Making the best of it is probably the best option. Because as long as the price disparities continue, the “fuel tourists” will continue to flow across the border.

Source: BBC