Countless Austrian motorists wanted to stock up on cheap petrol or diesel in time for the introduction of higher prices for foreign car owners in Hungary. The result: There was a rush to gas stations near the border and traffic came to a standstill. Above all, Slovak and Austrian number plates were on display. Completely blindsided gas station operators only allowed Hungarian vehicles in and sent foreigners away.
Ramona M. from Vienna actually wanted to fly quickly to Sopron (Ödenburg) on Wednesday to refuel her car. But the long waiting times at the border scared them off. She made the next attempt on the holiday. But at an OMV gas station there was no petrol and no diesel and she would have to wait too long for the refill, the Viennese woman reports to krone.at. So she tried her luck at a Shell gas station. But this one too was besieged, the traffic had come to a standstill: “Nothing worked anymore!”
The same picture prevailed at a MOL gas station, “Moreover, two Austrians had an argument because one had given way to the other”. So M. returned to Austria with her empty car.
Gas station employee: “Austrians no longer refuel!”
Because all good things come in threes, M. went back to Hungary on Friday, where the new regulation for foreign drivers has been in effect since midnight. But the Shell operator knocked on the window and said in broken German: “Austrians don’t refuel, back to Austria!”
At the local OMV branch, the young woman finally got lucky and even got her tank filling at the official price, which should really only be offered to Hungarians and drivers from countries where similar price caps are in place. Probably a sign of the chaos created by the regulation against tank tourism, which was issued in the emergency procedure.
Hungarian gas station operators take on the new regulations
By the way, Hungarian gas station operators are already confused about price regulation. The chairman of the Association of Self-employed Leaseholders of Gas Stations complained to the media that implementation was not possible in practice.
Lawsuit against price cap in Hungary
The price for 95 petrol and diesel, which is officially capped at 480 forints (about 1.24 euros), has been in force in Hungary since 15 November 2021. According to media reports, more than 200 gas stations have already seen each other in the spring. Given the increasing discrepancy between the market price and the official price, they have also been forced to close. A group of about 50 operators is therefore taking legal action against the measure at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), as announced at the beginning of May.
According to the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the cap will remain at least until July 1.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
