The German Association for Freight Transport, Logistics and Disposal (BGL) has sounded the alarm amid sharply rising diesel prices and is demanding an immediate investigation by the Federal Cartel Office.
In a letter to Andreas Mundt, president of the cartel office, BGL spokesperson Dirk Engelhardt warned of drastic consequences for the industry. He reports that the association is receiving “feedback from all regions of Germany about extreme price jumps that push many companies to the edge of their economic viability and threaten their existence”.
Engelhardt urges the competition authorities “to strongly examine the price‑formation mechanisms in the German fuel market in the short term”. A review could determine whether the strong divergence of German price trends compared to other European markets is due to “structural factors, market behaviour, or possible competition distortions”.
According to BGL’s price‑development data, Germany has the highest increase among all surveyed countries, and this “dynamics cannot be explained solely by crude oil price movements” Engelhardt explained. For transport companies, the cost hikes carry massive economic effects. With thin margins in logistics, the current trend can “quickly lead to real liquidity problems”. This jeopardises, Engelhardt said, “not only individual firms but the functionality of entire supply chains”.
