Balgarianovinite.com The war in Iran and the destruction of oil infrastructure in Gulf states have raised concerns on global markets about supplies of oil products and natural gas, leading to a spike in prices. The situation has put pressure on Balkan countries, which are heavily dependent on imported energy. To cope, governments in the region have introduced a range of measures, including temporary price caps and cuts to fuel taxes and excise duties.
Some are considering using strategic reserves. EU Member States have until 7 pm Bulgarian time on Thursday to notify the International Energy Agency (IEA) whether they plan to release quantities of their petroleum reserves, a European Commission spokesperson said. He said the EU was ready to take action if necessary, and explained that each EU country independently assesses how to use its petroleum reserves.
At Thursday’s briefing at the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov announced that the caretaker government will support households and businesses with targeted measures. Means-tested support will be provided to households affected by rising fuel prices, with assistance depending on global oil prices.
Other Balkan countries have opted for the following policies to mitigate the effects of rising oil prices:
Greece
The Greek government is imposing profit margins on fuel, food and essential commodities to curb speculative price hikes. According to the caps announced on March 11, the profit margin for wholesalers of petroleum products cannot exceed 5 euro cents per litre over the refinery supply price. For petrol stations, a maximum margin of 12 euro cents per litre has been set for the sale of A95 petrol and diesel to end users.
A similar restriction applies to profit margins on food and basic consumer goods. The gross profit margin percentage for each product category covered by the measure cannot exceed the average margin recorded for that product in 2025.
Violations of the new rules could lead to fines of up to EUR 5 million, depending on the size of the enterprise and the quantity of products for which an excessive profit increase has been established.
Turkiye
A fuel price buffer system was introduced in Turkiye on the night of March 4. Under this system, the government can cover global price increases through tax reductions of up to 75%. In this way, the increase in fuel prices for end consumers remains significantly lower than the real one.
Croatia
At an extraordinary meeting on March 9, the Croatian government reintroduced regulation of the maximum retail price of fuels effective between March 10 and 23. It is expected to reduce state budget revenues from excise duties on energy products by EUR 1.95 million. The Croatian government regulated fuel prices for three years, from 2022 to July 2025, to ease the pressure on citizens and the economy caused by rising prices due to the war in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced new fuel prices at gas stations: Eurodiesel will increase by seven cents to EUR 1.55 per litre, and Eurosuper petrol will cost EUR 1.50 per litre.
Serbia
Fuel prices in Serbia have been regulated by the state for years, with the government most recently extending the Decree on Limiting the Price of Petroleum Products for 60 days on January 24. Under the regulation, the maximum retail price, including VAT, for Eurodiesel and BMB 95 petrol is set based on the average wholesale price in Serbia, plus RSD 20 (EUR 0.17) per litre.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on March 6 the government is preparing new legislation to intervene and protect citizens from a sharp rise in fuel prices. The measures will aim to reduce excise duties and limit the price shock for households, he added, noting that the law allows excise cuts of up to 20%.
In response to global disruptions in oil supplies caused by escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Serbian government has imposed a temporary ban on the export of crude oil, petrol and diesel, regional television N1 reported.
Montenegro
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said earlier this week that the country already has strategic reserves of petroleum products, which, together with the reserves of some companies, can ensure stable supply and normal fuel consumption for about two months. On Thursday, the country’s Ministry of Energy and Mining announced that Montenegro has 40% of the legally required reserves of petroleum products, or 44,260 metric tons, consisting of unleaded petrol and Eurodiesel, and that claims by analysts and some media that the country lacks these reserves are completely false.
The Montenegrin ministry said that these reserves have been established since September 2025 and represent 40% of the total legal requirement, according to the Law on Security of Supply of Petroleum Products. The total requirement is 112,340 metric tons, which corresponds to 90 days of net imports, in accordance with European standards.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the two constituent parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has announced that it plans to support an initiative to temporarily reduce excise taxes on fuel in order to alleviate pressure on citizens and the market amid rising oil prices and an unstable international situation. According to the Prime Minister of the Federation, Nermin Niksic, the government is ready to shoulder some of the financial burden by forgoing part of its revenues to help distributors and limit price pressure on consumers. It has not yet been decided whether the excise tax reduction will be by 10% or 20%. However, in order to be approved at the national level, such a measure requires the consent of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is not known whether the other constituent part of the state, Republika Srpska, will support it.
Romania
Romania plans to partially subsidize fuel costs for freight and passenger transport operators until April 2027 under a state aid scheme worth RON 652 million (EUR 127.92 million), the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday. Around 6,200 companies will be eligible for support under the scheme.
Romania’s Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan said the ruling coalition is discussing several scenarios in response to the biggest fuel price hike in decades. According to him, the authorities are ready to restart the Petrotel-Lukpetroleum refinery, whose operations were frozen due to sanctions against the Russian Federation, which, although unofficially at the moment, has been agreed to by US representatives.
In the autumn of 2025, the government decided to extend the restriction on the trade mark-up on basic food products by another six months until March 31, 2026. The price cap on basic foods was introduced in 2023 as a measure against soaring inflation and to protect the purchasing power of the population. The restriction applies to goods including bread, milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, meat, eggs, flour, oil, potatoes, fruits and vegetables. Processors can apply a maximum mark-up of 20% to the production price, the total mark-up in the entire distribution chain is up to 5% of the purchase price plus operating costs, and retailers can apply a maximum mark-up of 20% to the purchase price.
North Macedonia
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said on the weekend that the country has enough petroleum and petroleum derivatives, so citizens should be calm, announcing that the government will intervene immediately if there is a dramatic spike in prices. Mickoski said he met with major distributors of oil and oil products, and they concluded that the country has sufficient supplies. He also told journalists that citizens should be calm because prices in the country are “dramatically lower than those in the neighbourhood.”
Albania
The Albanian information portal Shqiptarja reported that the Ministry of Finance established a special working group on Wednesday that will control the oil and gas market in order to prevent abuse and speculation. The main task of the Working Group on Customs and Taxation will be to control both the prices and the quantities of oil and gas traded in the country at retail and wholesale. The group’s activities and its inspections will cover the entire country until June 30.
Kosovo
Amid rising fuel prices on the global market, on March 4, Kosovo’s Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, announced a decision imposing a temporary ceiling on the maximum allowable markup for fuels traded on the Kosovo market, the Gazeta Express newspaper reports. According to the temporary measure, the maximum mark-up per litre of fuel is EUR 0.02 for wholesale and EUR 0.12 for retail.
Due to the increase in fuel prices on world markets, the Kosovo Central Inspectorate for Market Supervision announced on Tuesday that it has launched additional inspections and is closely monitoring the situation on the oil products market, Gazeta Express also said. The Inspectorate also stated that compliance with the imposed ceiling on the surcharge is being strictly monitored.
Slovenia
In early March, the Slovenian government took steps to address the sharp rise in fuel prices on European and global markets. The government reduced excise duties on petrol, diesel and heating petroleum, the Slovenian government website gov.si reported.
In practice, the measures introduced by the Slovenian government suggest that when filling up 50 litres of petrol, Slovenians will save about EUR 5.50. When filling up 50 litres of diesel, they save about EUR 8.70. If they buy 1,000 litres of heating petroleum, they could save EUR 183.
The measure will remain in effect until March 23, one day after the country’s parliamentary elections. Local media commented that the measure may actually be a pre-election move and may not be extended after the elections.
Republic of Cyprus
The government of the Republic of Cyprus is ready to take action if unjustified increases in fuel prices are observed or if a fuel shortage occurs, local media reported. The authorities in Nicosia are monitoring the country’s fuel supply chain, the Ministry of Energy said. No specific measures have been announced so far, although plans have been drawn up, the Phileleftheros daily said. What Measures Are Balkan Countries Taking to Address Surge in Oil Prices? 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-12 19:35:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law