Drivers in the European Union paid a little less for fuel in June than a month earlier. But before they celebrate - the bill is still significantly higher than last summer. And in neighbouring Bulgaria, the price rise is among the biggest in all of Europe.

Eurostat data show a double picture. Fuel prices started falling on a monthly basis, but remained 13.7 percent higher than in June 2025. That is a slowdown compared with the previous two months - in April the annual rise was 20.8 percent, and in May 20.7 percent. So the rise is slowing, but it is not stopping.

What is interesting for us in the Balkans is who pays the most. The biggest annual increase in June was recorded in Bulgaria, where fuel was 26 percent more expensive than last year. Lithuania follows with 23.5 percent, Romania with 23.1 percent, Finland with 22 percent and Luxembourg with 20.7 percent. The smallest increases were in Hungary with just 2.3 percent and Poland with 5.8 percent.

The differences between countries are not accidental - they speak of different tax policies, different levels of market competition and different political will to protect drivers' living standards. When one country has 2 percent growth and its neighbour 26, that is not geology - it is politics.

The comparison with May does carry a little bit of relief, though. The average price of diesel in the EU fell by 6.4 percent, and petrol got cheaper by 4.2 percent. Diesel got cheaper in all member states, with the biggest drop in the Czech Republic. The question is whether this is the start of a lasting easing or just a pause before the next jump - especially now that Brent is once again climbing towards 100 dollars a barrel.