The Bundeskartellamt has published its 'Kraftstoff-News' report detailing the developments in the fuel market for August. Average prices were reported at 2.203 Euro/Liter for E5, 2.146 Euro/Liter for E10, and 2.223 Euro/Liter for diesel. Fuel prices increased by 1.6 cents per liter for gasoline while diesel prices decreased by 0.85 cents per liter during August. However, early September saw notable price hikes of 8-10 cents.

The report indicates a growing gap between crude oil and wholesale prices, particularly for diesel, which remains high. Regional price differences in Germany reached up to 15.1 cents per liter for E5 and diesel, largely due to high transport costs caused by low water levels on the Rhine.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt, emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into refinery pricing practices, especially in light of ongoing procedures against refinery operators. The authority is currently evaluating responses from companies regarding extensive information requests and conducting a nationwide survey among hundreds of gas station operators.

In comparison to other European countries, Germany's fuel prices, including taxes, are among the highest. The report notes that while net prices without taxes are also relatively high, comparisons are complicated by different data collection methods and government interventions in other countries.

The Bundeskartellamt has also established a new IT infrastructure to monitor compliance with the 12 o'clock rule, facilitating secure data transmission to relevant authorities. Since August, over 426 data packages have been transmitted through this platform, which is now connected to 137 authorities.