The Slovak Government has introduced emergency restrictions on diesel fuel sales amid an escalating energy supply crisis.
It comes amid panic buying and cross-border “fuel tourism” exacerbating shortages at petrol stations, particularly in northern regions near Poland.
The measure, announced following a cabinet meeting yesterday, will be effective for an initial 30-day period from today.
It allows service stations to impose limits on diesel purchases and to charge higher prices for vehicles with foreign registration plates.
The restrictions do not apply to petrol.
Under the new rules, drivers may refuel only directly into their vehicle’s tank, with an additional allowance of up to 10 litres in portable containers.
A maximum spending cap of €400 per vehicle per visit has also been reported in several accounts of the policy.
Exports of diesel have been curtailed to preserve domestic stocks.
Prime Minister Robert Fico, speaking after the government session alongside economy minister Denisa Saková, justified the steps as necessary to counter a surge in demand from foreign motorists — especially from Poland — taking advantage of Slovakia’s relatively lower diesel prices amid wider European supply pressures.
After the outbreak of the Iran war, the Slovak Government agreed on a voluntary price brake with the Slovnaft refinery. This made fuel prices in Slovakia rise at a lower rate than in neighbouring countries. That safeguarded affordability for the people of Slovakia but also triggered fuel tourism from Austria and especially Poland.
Fico stated that some filling stations had “literally dried up” due to the influx and panic purchases.
The measures permit stations to set differentiated diesel pricing for foreign-registered vehicles, based on the average prices in neighbouring countries such as the Czech Republic, Austria and Poland.
Non-compliant stations risk closure.
The restrictions stem from a combination of factors: Global oil market disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict in Iran, which has driven up energy costs and contributed to a reported 20 per cent shortfall in some supply chains. Interruptions to Russian crude deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline have also contributed.
Shipments through the pipeline, which supplies Slovakia and Hungary, have been halted due to damage in Ukraine, prompting earlier retaliatory steps including the suspension of emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine in February 2026.
Slovakia’s Government has described the situation as a “worsening oil emergency”, with the measures aimed at stabilising supplies for domestic users and curbing speculative buying.
Opposition figures have sharply criticised the plan. Ivan Štefunko, vice-chair of the Progressive Slovakia party, accused the government of mishandling the crisis and failing to diversify energy supplies away from Russian oil.
He warned the restrictions could backfire on citizens, leading to pump closures and limiting access to fuel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could not hold back a chuckle during a press conference after a journalist asked about bombing a Russian Druzhba pipeline that supplies oil to Hungary and Slovakia. https://t.co/NCHypJJqox
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 25, 2025
