New is out of the question Fuel pass for now, Development and Investment Minister Adonis Georgiadis said, assuming that fuel prices will fall in the next period.

“We are in the middle of winter. Fuel consumption ended up being lower than budgeted for by all countries. All fuel depots in European countries are full, there are no fees from the markets,” the ERT minister said.

Regarding the possibility of providing a new Fuel Pass, Mr. Georgiadis replied that “at the moment this question does not arise, fuel prices remain much lower at the moment.”

“It is unreasonable to wait to receive oil in February when they could have done so in previous months. At the moment, the overall picture of international markets is not a picture of panic,” the minister added, which, according to him, was facilitated by a relatively mild winter in Europe.

Regarding accusations of the existence of fuel cartels, the Minister of Development replied that such a thing does not exist: “Refineries are not criminals and do not commit criminal acts,” he noted, adding, however, that the fact that there are only two refineries in Greece can create conditions less competition.

Speaking about the high taxes on fuel, Mr. Georgiadis said that if we compare refinery prices in Greece and other countries, these are average figures.

He concluded: “High fuel taxes were introduced in the 90s, supported by all the interim governments. The main reason they were kept is because the fuel tax is the most basic and stable tax income.