ROMA (ITALPRESS) – “At present, the average price of fuels is below 2 euros per litre, values far from the peaks recorded in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine: further increases will depend on the evolution and duration of international tensions. For this reason we have strengthened the monitoring of Mr. Prices on the whole supply chain, from production to distribution, to prevent tensions in the Middle East becoming a pretext for unjustified speculations or relapses, and prepared with Minister Giorgetti an immediate operational plan of intervention of the Guardia di Finanza”. The Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, said this at the meetings of the Commission of rapid alert on prices, convened to address the escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the possible effects on energy markets and consumer products. At the end of the meeting, Urso had in fact a comparison with the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, for an update on the evolution of the situation and to agree further actions of contrast to speculative phenomena, also through an operating plan of intervention of the Guardia di Finanza. “At the moment – Minister Urso added – on the network of Italian distributors there are no widespread speculative phenomena, net of about twenty cases already reported by Mr. Prices and now to the examination of the soldiers of the Yellow Flames. The attention is therefore now focusing on the steps upstream of the gas supply chain. We are in the field with this ‘transparency operation, along with all the subjects involved in various reasons, to monitor the situation and to intervene promptly against all forms of speculation.” During the meeting it emerged that the international quotations of refined products have recorded, in the last four days regarding the closure of Friday 27 February, a total increase of 10 cents per litre for gasoline and 26 cents for diesel. As regards the prices to the distributor, on the date of 6 March 2026, the national average values in self-service petrol (1.76 euro/liter) and diesel (1.91 euro/liter) are higher than Friday 27 February 2026, respectively 9.2 cents and 18.9 cents per liter. In the course of the work “it has also emerged that, following the increase of the international quotations of refined products, in particular of oil, they have recorded immediate and sensitive adjustments to the rise, since the first days of March 2026, of the price lists recommended by the main oil companies – explains the Mimit in a note -. Increases which, at present, are not yet justified by a real shortage of refined products on the market.” The Mimit Price Monitoring Supervisory Authority, on the indication of Minister Urso, announced that the Commission of rapid alert will meet from today on a weekly basis, every Friday, until this phase of uncertainty is over, to continue monitoring activities in the energy and fuel sectors, in order to ensure transparency and adequate protection of consumers. Finally, with regard to the effects of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on inflation and agri-food products – the subject of today’s second meeting – the available data “do not yet highlight generalized impacts related to the increase in energy prices, if not in some surveys or in specific segments. Monitoring will continue in the coming weeks to carefully assess its evolution,” concludes Mimit.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
