Tank tourism poses major challenges for some European countries due to the Iran war. The first countries have now decided to restrict or regulate fuel sales.
03/19/2026, 06:0303/19/2026, 06:03
The Iran war is exacerbating the raw materials crisis in Europe. The Slovak government has decided to restrict fuel sales. The regulation should initially apply for 30 days, but could be extended if necessary, said Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting.
Robert Fico imposes sales limits on oil products.Image: keystone
As a measure against panic buying and fuel tourism, only diesel and petrol can be purchased per vehicle up to a maximum value of 400 euros. Taking more than 10 liters in canisters or other containers with you is prohibited even within this limit. Fuel sales abroad are also limited. The government sees this as an alternative to drastic price increases for consumers.
Slovakia: State of emergency in the border area
A higher price applies to vehicles with foreign license plates than to domestic ones. It is determined as the average of the prices applicable in the neighboring countries of Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland.
Particularly in the border area between Slovakia and Poland, fuel was temporarily no longer available at several gas stations. After the outbreak of the Iran war, the government in Bratislava agreed to a voluntary price cap with the Slovnaft refinery. That is why fuel prices in Slovakia rose less than in neighboring countries, which triggered fuel tourism from Austria and especially Poland.
A month ago, Slovakia declared an “oil emergency” because oil had stopped flowing from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline via Ukraine since the end of January. The oil supply to Slovakia and Hungary has so far been largely dependent on this. Bratislava and Budapest accuse Ukraine of intentionally hindering oil deliveries and not allowing an independent inspection of the pipeline, which Ukraine claims was damaged by Russian drone attacks.
Italy is also taking measures
But the shortage of fossil fuels does not only affect the Eastern European countries. Italy has also taken measures because the price of fuel has recently exploded. The Italian government has therefore reduced taxes on petrol and diesel by decree. The cabinet decided on the measure on Wednesday evening. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni then announced the decision on X.
According to Meloni, this should immediately reduce prices by “25 cents per liter for everyone”. According to Meloni, trucking companies should be relieved through tax credits. This is intended to prevent increased fuel prices from driving up the prices of other consumer goods.
As a third measure, the decree contains an “anti-speculation mechanism”. Meloni explained that the requested price would be “strictly linked to the actual development of crude oil prices on the world market”. According to Meloni, unjustified price increases would be “stopped immediately”.
According to Transport Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, the measures are initially limited in time. In Italy, laws can be changed by the government immediately by decree, but Parliament must then vote on them within 60 days. (t-online/con/dpa)