Quarterly Fuel Market Transparency Report and Competition Law Enforcement

Current contents of the Federal Cartel Office

Quarterly Report of the Market Transparency Unit for Fuels

27.03.2026

published on: 27.03.2026

The Bundeskartellamt has today published the quarterly report of the Market Transparency Unit for Fuels (“Kraftstoff-News”, in German). This press release summarises the most important findings:

In the wake of escalating tensions with Iran, fuel prices at petrol stations rose sharply from the end of February. Between 28 February and 25 March, the price of E5/E10 increased by around 27.8 cents per litre, with E5 most recently costing 2.122 euros and E10 2.065 euros. The price of diesel even increased by around 51.4 cents during this period, most recently reaching 2.267 euros per litre.

What is striking is the decoupling of wholesale diesel prices from the price of crude oil. In the wake of escalating tensions with Iran, this gap has widened significantly – a trend not observed with petrol. On 19 March, the increase in wholesale diesel prices was approximately 25 cents higher than the increase in crude oil prices. Most recently, this decoupling rose by 10 cents in a single day, from 18 to 19 March.

Also notable is the time lag with which price increases and decreases are passed on to the next level of trade. In the past, there have repeatedly been indications that petrol stations usually pass on higher costs immediately, while falling costs tend to be passed on more slowly (the “rocket and feather” effect). With regard to the Iran crisis, there are as yet no clear findings in this respect: following the sharp price increases (the “rocket”), there was a significant decline in the price of crude oil around 10 March, although this was only temporary. In this context, wholesale prices also fell sharply. Petrol station prices followed with a slight time lag.

When comparing countries at the petrol station level, there are significant differences due to varying taxes and duties. Some countries have introduced regulatory measures such as price caps. The data from the European Commission (Weekly Oil Bulletin) are based on very different national reporting systems and are therefore only comparable to a limited extent. However, they do provide an initial indication of price trends in the respective countries. It is true, initially, that Germany was one of the countries where petrol prices rose most sharply at the beginning of the crisis. For example, between 23 February and 9 March, diesel prices in Germany, as well as in Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Poland, were among the highest, with increases of between 31 and 43 cents per litre. For petrol, Germany saw price increases of around 25 cents per litre, while Austria followed at a considerable distance. However, these price gaps changed as the crisis progressed.

Looking at the period from 23 February to 23 March, it is apparent that other countries, particularly for diesel, saw even higher price increases than Germany (up 57.6 cents), namely Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden (each up by over 60 cents). Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic are largely on par with Germany in terms of diesel price increases, with Greece, Belgium and Luxembourg following slightly behind. For E5, price increases in Germany (up 31.7 cents) are approximately on a par with those in the Czech Republic. Denmark and Poland follow slightly behind. Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands are just below the 30-cent mark. Prices increased noticeably more sharply in Sweden and Austria during this period (up by over 34 cents and over 33 cents, respectively).

Competition law enforcement in the mineral oil sector

One possible reason for the observed decoupling of the diesel price from the crude oil price is that a significant proportion of Germany’s direct diesel imports originate from the Middle East. The question for the Bundeskartellamt, however, is whether the associated market distortions can explain the price increases. With regard to the petrol fuels E5 and E10, the Bundeskartellamt will also investigate, on the basis of Section 29a GWB passed yesterday by the German Bundestag, whether there have been abusive price increases in Germany. The reversal of the burden of proof in the cost control of mineral oil companies, as provided for in Section 29a GWB, will facilitate this process. However, here, too, a thorough and impartial investigation and assessment are required.

The Bundeskartellamt has a thorough understanding of the markets. It conducted a sector inquiry into the mineral oil wholesale markets following the start of the war in Ukraine. On this basis, the Bundeskartellamt initiated proceedings regarding the price assessments provided by price information services in the German wholesale fuel market. These proceedings can currently only continue to a very limited extent, as the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court must first rule in summary proceedings on objections from July 2025 against the Bundeskartellamt’s requests for information. While the legislative package passed yesterday simplifies the provision under Section 32f GWB and will facilitate the proceedings, the court’s decision must still be awaited.

The Bundeskartellamt welcomes the legislative initiative to limit the frequency of price fluctuations at petrol stations. Price increases will now only be permitted once a day at 12 noon. Once the legislation comes into force, the Bundeskartellamt will automatically monitor compliance with this rule in an automated process using real-time data from the Market Transparency Unit for Fuels. The new rule is to be enforced by authorities appointed by the Länder.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: “All actions of the Bundeskartellamt are based on the German Competition Act (GWB). Under the GWB, the Bundeskartellamt cannot impose price reductions on an ad hoc basis; contrary to some public demands, there is no competition-law instrument for doing so. The GWB does not allow for “instant” price cuts. The Bundeskartellamt’s main mandate is to protect competitive structures and processes. Within this framework, it can assess whether prices have been set at an abusive level.”

Establishing that a price is abusively high is exceptional in a market economy and is subject to very high legal thresholds set by legislation and the courts. Moreover, the Bundeskartellamt’s decisions are ultimately subject to judicial review and must therefore be legally robust.

The Bundeskartellamt is thoroughly examining price assessments and price setting in the fuel markets. Any identified abuses will be remedied. Price regulations existing abroad are outside the scope of competition law.

German version

• ### Quartalsbericht der Markttransparenzstelle für Kraftstoffe veröffentlicht

27.03.2026

Learn more

quarterly report (german version)

• ### Kraftstoff-News Quartal 1/2026

27.03.2026

download (PDF, 2MB, File does not meet accessibility standards)