In a bid to help households shoulder the burden of rising energy prices, the government in April had slashed petrol and diesel prices by 7.5 cents per litre at service stations. Fuel prices have fluctuated since and reached €1.73 for Super 95, €1.95 for Super 98 and €1.78 for diesel on Friday.

Set to expire in July,, but Backes (DP) on Thursday told Radio 100,7 that there is currently no discussion to further prolong the discount. The government instead would like to prioritise other support measures, she said.

Oil companies have been raking in record profits from the high prices. Shell reported $11.5bn in adjusted earnings for the second quarter of this year, breaking its previous $9.1bn record from the first quarter and up from $5.5bn a year ago.

TotalEnergies on Thursday said second-quarter profits had almost tripled to $9.8bn compared to the same time last year.

Neighbours cut excise duties

State coffers, too, are benefitting from the high prices as more VAT and excise duty is levied. Opposition lawmakers during a series of debates on the energy crisis said the government must find ways to funnel this money back to taxpayers.

A tax credit to ease the fiscal burden of households came into effect in July as part of a €830m package to combat the energy crisis.

Countries elsewhere in Europe had also introduced a fuel rebate. Germany reduced prices for petrol by 30 cents per litre and for diesel by 14 cents per litre for June, July and August. For a short period, this meant that prices were cheaper in Germany than in Luxembourg.

France introduced an 18 cent rebate in April and said it would gradually phase it out over the course of the year. But from September, the country is lowering excise duties on fuel in a move similar to Belgium.