Premier: Slovnaft Will Self-regulate Fuel Prices in Coming Days
Bratislava, 11 March (TASR) - Slovnaft will maintain self-regulation of fuel prices for the next five days, and its representatives will than meet the government again to assess the situation in connection with the military conflict in Iran and the Druzhba oil pipeline and agree on how to proceed, said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) following the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, which was also attended by President Peter Pellegrini and Slovnaft representatives.
According to the premier, the government's goal is to make fuel in Slovakia cheaper than in Austria and comparable in price with the other V4 (Visegrad Four) countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland).
The prime minister stressed that Slovnaft is under enormous pressure. "We now have to think about what we'll do in the next few days. We've agreed that Slovnaft will maintain self-regulation for five days. That means that if today is Wednesday, we have Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We'll meet again on Monday or Tuesday. We'll see how the military conflict develops, what the situation is in the Strait of Hormuz, and what's happening with the Druzhba oil pipeline. And we'll discuss whether we'll continue with self-regulation or take certain measures," he stated.
Fico added that, according to information from Slovnaft representatives, the oil from 11 tankers has been purchased, which should be used in Slovakia for processing into fuel. "I've taken note that over the weekend, Slovnaft began taking the first tonnes of oil [from state material reserves] and began processing them into specific products. We met at a government meeting today to discuss where we stand in terms of prices," he announced.
"It's the duty of the Slovak government to ensure that we are cheaper than Austria and comparable to the V4 countries in this area. The situation in Hungary is different from ours because Hungary is in the middle of an election campaign, so it's difficult to assess certain things. In terms of petrol and diesel prices, we want Slovakia to be among countries with comparable prices," he said.
The prime minister pointed out that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed for him on Tuesday (10 March) that Slovakia is entitled to Russian oil. "That's the first thing, because that was the decision of the European Union authorities. Secondly, she said it very clearly - let's repair the oil pipeline, start it up, and get this issue off the table because it stirs up emotions. Of course it stirs up emotions. Why should I remain calm when I see [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy harming us? It stirs up emotions. So this is a very rational approach by the Commission president," added Fico.
