Overview
- Eni said it will cap diesel at €2.19 per litre and gasoline at €1.99 at about 4,000 Enilive stations, a measure the company plans to start on Monday, September 28 for an initial 30 days.
- The price cap is linked to the government’s phased reduction of diesel excise relief, which was halved this week and has pushed the national average diesel price to roughly €2.36 per litre.
- Palazzo Chigi publicly thanked Eni for the move while ministers Adolfo Urso and Gilberto Pichetto have summoned refinery operators to a October 8 meeting to explore raising domestic output.
- Opposition parties, unions and transport groups criticised reliance on a voluntary corporate fix and warned of protests or strikes from truckers, taxi drivers and farmers if policy action is not taken.
- Analysts and industry groups caution that Europe’s long decline in refining capacity and limited spare domestic output mean the cap may be temporary and its wider effect will depend on whether other retailers follow and on refinery production outcomes.