EU Petrol prices up to 1.85 euros per liter and diesel to 1.87 euros by the end of May

Brussels – The effects of the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz continue to weigh on the European economy. Following the closure of the main transit route for about one-fifth of the world’s oil, fuel prices in the European Union rose sharply between late February and late May 2026, according to data from the European Commission’s Weekly Oil Bulletin.

During the period in question, the average price of Euro-Super 95 petrol in the EU rose from 1.55 (February 23, 2026) to 1.85 euros per liter (+19.3 percent) in the May 28, 2026, survey, while diesel rose from 1.54 to 1.87 euros (+21.1 percent). This trend reflects tensions in international energy markets but has not resulted in uniform increases across Member States.

For petrol, the largest increases compared to February were recorded in the Czech Republic (+29.9 percent), Denmark (+29 percent), Belgium (+28.9 percent), Finland (+27.7 percent), and Bulgaria (+25.6 percent). For diesel, Bulgaria leads the rankings with a 38.9 percent increase, followed by Finland (+33.4 percent), Belgium (+30.9 percent), Estonia (+29.5 percent), and France (+28.8 percent).

The highest price levels remain concentrated in Northern and Western Europe. On May 25, petrol prices exceeded 2 euros per liter in Denmark (2.50 euros), the Netherlands (2.39 euros), Finland (2.19 euros), Greece (2.14 euros), and France (2.11 euros). Italy ranks eighth among the EU-27 with an average price of 1.96 euros per liter.

The exception is Malta, the only country that recorded no changes in either petrol or diesel prices during the period in question. Unlike most Member States, Malta maintains a fuel price control system that mitigates the impact of fluctuations in international prices on the domestic market.