Niedersachsen’s Minister-President, Olaf Lies (SPD), has issued demands to mineral oil companies, insisting that they must fully pass the temporary tax reduction on petrol and diesel-which begins May 1st-directly to the consumers. He stressed that the resulting price cut at the gas stations must be clearly visible and traceable. Speaking to the “Welt am Sonntag”, Lies stated: “The customer must be able to see that the 17 cents reaches him”. He added that he expects the discount to be explicitly stated at the stations, noting that this “fuel discount” was recently approved by the Bundestag and Bundesrat and is set to last for two months.
Regarding fuel supply, Lies currently does not anticipate any shortages. The regional leader asserted that the state has the situation under control, noting that “Germany is not as unilaterally dependent on oil as it was concerning gas before the Russian attack on Ukraine”. However, he acknowledged that both the federal government and the respective states must prepare for several different scenarios. To ensure stability, he highlighted the capabilities of the Federal Ministry of Economics and the Federal Network Agency, pointing out that these bodies possess proven expertise in organizing supply security.
