September the 19th, 2026 – If the government fails to intervene, then Croatia’s most expensive diesel so far is on its way next week.
From next Tuesday, drivers at petrol stations could be met with higher fuel prices. Index reports that according to what currently remains unofficial information, all types of fuel are becoming more expensive, and diesel could reach a historic high in Croatia. These are the prices that will apply if the government fails to properly intervene, reports RTL.
expected price increases
If there is no government intervention, the price of a litre of eurosuper should rise by one cent and amount to €1.74. Eurodiesel would become more expensive by ten cents, so its new price would be €1.95 per litre. The largest price increase is expected for blue diesel, which should rise by 11 cents to €1.51.
historic highs for diesel…
If the government does not make a different decision, the diesel price of €1.95 per litre would be the highest recorded in Croatia’s history. Until now Croatia has had some of the lower fuel prices in Europe, but that could change from next week.
why are diesel and oil prices rising like this?
The background to the new blow to drivers’ pockets lies in the global disruptions caused by the US war against Iran, which has been shaking the world energy market for months. The situation escalated further after drone attacks on the Saudi East-West oil pipeline, a key alternative route for transporting crude oil after navigation through the Strait of Hormuz became unsafe. As a result, Brent crude prices jumped above $100 a barrel, and some deliveries in Europe exceeded $120.
As energy expert Davor Štern warned, the price increases are not only a consequence of a physical shortage of fuel, but primarily of stock-market speculation. “We follow the markets, and the markets do what they do. The exchanges have again returned to their traditional bookmaking methods – it is not so much a real shortage of diesel as expectations that there will not be enough of it that have driven the price up,” Štern explained.
the croatian government’s hands are tied…
On whether the state even has mechanisms with which it could stop this rise, Professor Marijana Ivanov from the Department of Finance at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb spoke for Index. She warns that the geopolitical circumstances are extremely unfavourable and that the Government is running out of instruments with which it could cushion new blows.
“I think the room for preventing a further rise in fuel prices is quite limited. With excise duties there is almost none, especially with diesel, while with petrol it is also very narrow,” Ivanov points out. Although cutting the VAT rate is often mentioned in public, the economist considers that this would not be a good move: “In principle it is possible to reduce VAT on fuel, but I would not suggest it because public finances are already under pressure from the risk of a larger deficit. A third option would be further cutting of distributors’ margins, but we know that even at these levels they have become unsustainable for small traders.”
