European governments are cutting fuel taxes, handing out subsidies and rewriting energy rules to soften the shock of record petrol and diesel prices. France, Germany and Spain are among the countries expanding support, and the EU also faces the additional risk of possible US restrictions on diesel exports.

The numbers are heavy. Fuel prices for private transport in the EU were 23.8% higher in August than a year earlier, rising in 26 of 27 member states, and in 18 of them the increase exceeded 20%. In August alone diesel went up another 8.3% compared with July. To fill a 50-litre tank, a European driver today pays around 30 euros more than at the start of the year. Across the whole continent, the extra cost for diesel alone comes to around 203 million euros a day, according to European Commission data.

Someone is winning, though. Shares in 10 major European oil and gas companies rose between 40% and 87% from the start of 2026 to 23 September, with Spain's Repsol on top at around 87.2%. The problem isn't just crude oil, but a shortage of refined fuels and refinery margins that keep getting wider.

In that picture, Macedonia sits at the bottom of the price list. According to the platform fuel-prices.eu, at an average of 1.699 euros per litre the country has Europe's cheapest diesel, and at 1.610 euros per litre of petrol it ranks third, behind Turkey and Sweden. The most expensive diesel is in Denmark, at 2.532 euros per litre. Among the neighbours, in Greece a litre of petrol costs 2.203 euros and a litre of diesel 2.229 euros.

But cheapest doesn't mean cheap, or stable. On 22 September the Energy Regulatory Commission (RKE) raised the maximum price of diesel by 5.5 denars per litre, while petrol got 1.5 denars cheaper. Diesel now goes up to 104.5 denars a litre, BS-95 petrol up to 99 denars and BS-98 up to 101 denars.

Brent is hovering around 105 dollars a barrel and has been swinging between 95 and 110 dollars for months, depending on every piece of news from the Middle East. Analysts warn that tight diesel supply could last into 2027, and US President Donald Trump has said the conflict in the Middle East may only end after the US elections in November.

For a country where diesel drives transport, farming and industry, first place for cheapness is a comfort with an expiry date. European governments have already shown what they do when prices take off: they cut taxes and subsidise. If European prices reach our pumps too, does the government have its own plan ready - or will we just wait for the regulator to announce the next number?