Ukraine’s Antimonopoly Committee found no evidence of collusion in the fuel market: details
8 April 14:11
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has found no evidence of collusion in the fuel market that could have led to a rise in gasoline prices. According to the AMCU, the increase in fuel prices is due to objective market factors.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Suspilne.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, spoke in the Verkhovna Rada about the preliminary results of the investigation into rising prices for light petroleum products. According to him, no evidence of anti-competitive collusion among market participants has been found so far.
“At this time, based on the data already received and analyzed, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has not found any evidence of a conspiracy among market participants to raise prices,” he explained.
The investigation has been ongoing since March 9; the committee is collecting and analyzing data, consulting with the government, and holding meetings with the management of key gas station operators. Operators state that due to rising costs and falling profitability, they are prepared to lower prices.
Kyrylenko emphasized that the price increases are due to rising fuel costs, fluctuations in the national currency exchange rate, and increases in logistics costs and customs duties. All Ukrainian operators purchase fuel almost exclusively from European countries, which also affects market prices.
He added that the petroleum products market in Ukraine is free and unregulated, and that the AMCU’s investigation is not a tool for price regulation. According to him, a similar situation is observed in EU countries, where prices have risen, but antitrust authorities have not opened similar cases.
“In none of them have antitrust authorities even decided to open a case. They are monitoring the situation and applying their own tools to regulate the market, aligning with the situation where regulations have been introduced in certain European countries,” he emphasized.
Fuel Problems Due to the War in the Middle East
The escalation of the situation surrounding Iran has affected the European fuel market. In Slovakia and Slovenia, problems have arisen with the availability and rising prices of diesel and gasoline due to high demand, particularly from foreign drivers (fuel tourism).
The Slovenian government has limited refueling to 50 liters per day for private cars and 200 liters for companies and priority users, while Slovakia has introduced a financial cap on refueling (400 euros per vehicle).
Consequences of the crisis: increased costs for carriers, disruptions in supply chains, and rising prices for goods. Some countries are responding with fiscal measures—Italy has temporarily reduced excise taxes and introduced tax support for the transport sector, while Spain has unveiled a €5 billion anti-crisis plan that includes a reduction in VAT on energy products. The situation remains unstable and depends on the development of geopolitical events.
On March 18, the government approved the “Fuel Cashback” program, and it went live on on March 20.
