The Slovak Ministry of Finance has raised the price of diesel fuel for foreign-registered cars for the second time in the past week, Pravda news portal reported.
In Slovakia, the price of one liter of diesel fuel for foreign-registered cars has been set at 2.063 euros per liter as of Friday, April 3. The increased price for foreigners in the country came into effect on Monday, March 23. Initially set at 1.826 euros per liter, it was increased to 2.012 euros per liter four days later.
Meanwhile, Slovak authorities are maintaining the price of diesel fuel for local drivers at an average of 1.70 euros. Bratislava explains this approach as a way to protect the local market from foreign motorists who previously traveled to the country to fill up with significantly cheaper diesel fuel than in neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, the initiative of the Slovak authorities has drawn criticism from the European Commission, which has described the practice of dual pricing based on nationality as discriminatory and unacceptable in the European Union. The Slovak authorities, for their part, argue that EU regulations are not violated, as the measure is valid for only 30 days, which is permitted by the organization's rules.