Robert Fico calls for an extraordinary EU summit on fuel prices

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called on Tuesday for an extraordinary summit of the European Union to be convened to find solutions to the rising prices of petrol and diesel. He attributed the price increases to the ongoing wars, the lack of action at the European level and, in part, the greed of oil companies, according to the Reuters and TASR news agencies, cited by Digi24.

In a video message, Fico criticized European institutions for leaving member states to manage the effects of the oil crisis on their own. The Slovak prime minister argued that governments are forced to offset the rising cost of fuel by cutting spending on pensions, healthcare or education, while the European Commission calls for savings and threatens sanctions.

Fico said that the EU should react just as quickly to citizens’ problems as it does in the case of summits dedicated to Ukraine and the mobilization of substantial funds to support it.

The government in Bratislava is also preparing measures to limit fuel prices. The prime minister announced that concrete decisions are due to be made on Wednesday. Robert Fico’s request comes amid mounting pressure on European governments, affected by rising energy and fuel prices.