European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton sent a letter to the Hungarian authorities earlier this week following a decision by the Hungarian government to apply a differentiated fuel pricing policy based on the nationality of the vehicle’s driver, the spokesperson responsible for internal market issues, Sonya Gospodinova, told EUROPE on Monday 13 June.
“We are now waiting for the response, which we will evaluate carefully”, she continued, indicating that the institution had received several complaints from citizens about the measure taken by Hungary. The spokesperson noted that any restrictions on single market freedoms must be “non-discriminatory and proportionate”, emphasising the importance of preserving the smooth functioning of the single market “to overcome the current economic disruptive effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine”. War cannot be used to justify discriminating between citizens, even indirectly on the basis of their nationality, she insisted.
By way of reminder, the Hungarian government announced at the end of May that only cars with Hungarian number plates would be allowed to fill up with petrol or diesel at a capped price of €1.22. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)