Overview
- The government published a decree that reinstated an excise cut on diesel of about 4 cents per litre, effective Wednesday, October 28 and running until 7 November.
- The decree fixes the gasoil excise at €632.90 per 1,000 litres and says the cut is paid for with €38.7m taken from higher VAT receipts collected in September, which it links to rising international oil prices.
- Consumer groups called the measure inadequate and noted the €38.7m allocation is far smaller than earlier government references to a roughly €160m VAT windfall.
- Legacoop told a Transport Ministry technical meeting that returning diesel to February 2026 price levels through year-end would cost about €180m and that maintaining containment requires roughly €60m per month.
- Analysts and industry bodies say the short, modest cut will likely lower pump prices slightly but will not provide the sustained relief or regional support the transport sector needs for the holiday season without further funds or structural measures.