Opposition challenges Tirol government over highest fuel prices

Opposition lawmakers criticised Tirol’s high fuel prices during a heated debate in the state parliament on Wednesday, while Governor Anton Mattle defended the government’s response. ORF reported that motorists in Tirol pay the highest prices in Austria.

The debate focused on what has been called the “Tirol fuel price surcharge”: higher prices for petrol and diesel than in other Austrian states. Independent member Georg Dornauer asked why people in Tirol pay more than anyone else in the country. Mattle pointed to a west-east divide in Austrian fuel prices and called it a “major annoyance”.

Tirol motorists paid an average of six cents more per litre than the national average, Mattle said. A state-appointed price investigation commission will examine the causes, including why prices rise quickly but fall more slowly. If the differences cannot be explained, the government will take legal action, he said, adding that it first needed to establish a data basis.

Mattle also cited a special review by E-Control, Austria’s energy regulator, which was agreed with Economy Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer.

Opposition lawmakers questioned the government’s response. FPÖ leader Markus Abwerzger said households were under pressure and having to choose between their weekly shopping and filling their tanks. He asked Mattle what steps he planned to take beyond writing letters and filing lawsuits.

Herwig Zöttl of Liste Fritz asked why an investigation and measures had not been introduced sooner. Green Party leader Gebi Mair attributed the prices to dependence on fossil fuels, a point Mattle also acknowledged. Mair criticised rising public transport prices, while Transport Councillor René Zumtobel said the expanding service had to be funded.

Mair also called for Tirol’s government-run fuel stations, which serve the state’s vehicle fleet, to be opened to the public. Mattle rejected the proposal, saying the public should benefit from the free market. The debate also touched on hydropower, prompting Mair to ask whether Tirol residents were expected to “tank water”.

NEOS leader Birgit Obermüller questioned the value of the new investigation commission, comparing it with the anti-inflation council set up by the Tirol government in autumn 2022. Mattle said the Federal Audit Office had given the state a positive assessment of its measures at the time.

SPÖ lawmaker Christian Kovacevic said geopolitical developments were driving high fuel prices across Europe and asked Mattle to assess the federal government’s fuel price cap. Mattle welcomed the measure.