Fuel and Food Price Freeze Extended Until July 1

The Hungarian government has decided to extend the price restrictions on fuel and certain food products until July 1, PM Viktor Orbán announced this Wednesday.

He said in a video on social media that the government had discussed the issue of fuel and food prices at its meeting on Wednesday. He stressed that prices are rising all over Europe, the main reason being the war, and until the war is over, prices will continue to rise.

"We have decided to extend our price cap measures in both cases until July 1, so both the price of fuel and the price of selected food items will remain unchanged until July 1,” he stressed.  

The price of food items like granulated sugar, wheat flour, sunflower oil, 2.8% cow's milk. pork legs, chicken breast, chicken rump back and wingtips were frozen from February 1 this year at their October 15, 2021 level.

The prime minister said that “we will do our utmost to protect families," but observers and opposition figures noted that such a government measure forced merchants to increase the price of other food items to keep their business open, thereby contributing to a higher inflation rate.

Regarding the price cap on fuel, small filling stations continue to protest against the measure as they lose money on every liter of fuel they sell since wholesale prices are higher than retail prices.