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Greek Politician Slams Government's Fuel Price Measures as Ineffective
🇬🇷 Greece /Economy & Trade

Greek Politician Slams Government's Fuel Price Measures as Ineffective

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • A Greek politician criticizes the government's approach to fuel prices, calling it ineffective.
  • She questions the timing and sustainability of announced fuel price reductions, contrasting them with rising refinery prices and profits.
  • The politician demands explanations for the government's actions, citing a lack of competition and missed opportunities for structural reforms.

Anna Diamantopoulou, responsible for the Development Circle of PASOK, has sharply criticized the Greek government's strategy for addressing fuel prices, stating that "high prices are not tackled with nice words and photos. They are tackled with rules that work for everyone."

High prices are not tackled with nice words and photos. They are tackled with rules that work for everyone.

— Anna DiamantopoulouCriticizing the government's approach to managing fuel prices.

Diamantopoulou questioned the recent announcement of fuel price reductions, drawing parallels to previous government initiatives like the 2,000 product codes. She argued that the government is announcing cuts without a clear implementation plan. Citing Eurostat data, she noted that refinery prices in Greece increased by approximately 20 cents per liter in the last week, while Italian prices decreased by about 5 cents.

Furthermore, she highlighted the significant profit increases reported by Greek refineries. HelleniQ Energy saw its net profits jump from 11 million euros in the first quarter of 2025 to 284 million euros in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of over 2,400%. Motor Oil's profits rose from 85 million euros to 333 million euros, a nearly 300% increase.

Why is the reduction only for the end of August and not a permanent intervention?

— Anna DiamantopoulouQuestioning the temporary nature of the announced fuel price reductions.

Based on these figures, Diamantopoulou posed several critical questions to the government: Why were fuel prices not reduced earlier if it was so easy? Why is the reduction only a temporary measure for late August and not a permanent intervention? She also questioned the basis of refinery prices, suggesting they are formed through "gentlemen's agreements" rather than healthy competition. Finally, she asked why the government ignored proposals from the Competition Committee for institutional interventions if market competition is indeed ineffective.

From when are refinery prices determined after 'gentlemen's agreements' with the government and not by healthy competition?

— Anna DiamantopoulouRaising concerns about the lack of fair competition in the fuel market.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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