Germany’s Federal Minister of Economics, Katherina Reiche of the CDU, arranged for the new fuel‑price regulation to take effect only three days later than originally planned. The stakeholders requested a smooth rollout with the rule coming into force on 1 April, so the Federal Office for Justice was scheduled to publish the law on 31 March.
The legislation permits gas stations to increase their prices only once a day, and the adjustment must be made at noon. After the Bundestag and the Bundesrat approved the bill, it was signed by President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier on Friday afternoon. The presidential office then instructed the Federal Office for Justice to issue the formal announcement in the Federal Law Gazette.
However, the Ministry of Economics has persuaded the justice authority to postpone the digital publication. Reiche’s office internally informed the government that petroleum companies and the competition authority-which gains stronger control powers under the package-required additional time. If the law had been published online on Friday, it would have taken effect the following Saturday, but the current delay amounts to a four‑day postponement.
