Motor diesel: subsidy extended into September

The Ministry of National Economy and Finance announced on Monday, 31 August 2026, that the motor diesel subsidy is extended to September 2026 as well. According to the ministry’s announcement, the amount of the subsidy remains at 10 cents per litre, of which 8 cents concern the net subsidy and the remainder the corresponding VAT. The fiscal cost of the measure for September is calculated, according to the ministry, at 30 million euros. The announcement was not accompanied by further details on the procedure for disbursing the amount or the method of checking proper implementation of the measure at fuel stations.

Motor diesel is a fuel used mainly by professional drivers, transport companies and agricultural operations, as it powers trucks, buses, farm machinery and construction equipment. Fuel subsidies have been in recent years one of the tools used by the state to absorb part of the fluctuations in international energy prices, which are directly transferred to the cost of transporting goods and indirectly to broader categories of products. September is traditionally associated with increased traffic of transport vehicles, as it coincides with the restart of economic activity after the summer period, and also with work related to agricultural production, such as harvesting and transporting products, in several regions of the country.

For professionals using motor diesel, the extension of the subsidy means that fuel costs are not expected to rise sharply with the start of the new month, something that has a direct impact on the operating costs of transport and agricultural businesses. As transport costs are often passed on to product and service prices, maintaining the subsidy serves as a way to contain pressures that could otherwise reach the end consumer, especially at a time when the cost of living remains in the centre of public discussion. The measure is part of a broader framework of state interventions to limit the cost of living, as is the national initiative to reduce prices on widely consumed products, but without the ministry having officially linked the two measures to each other.

The ministry has not clarified whether the subsidy will continue after September 2026, nor has it announced changes in the way it is calculated or disbursed for the following months. No details have been made public on how many beneficiaries are expected to benefit from the measure in this particular month, nor any detailed breakdown of costs by user category or region. The announcement comes at a time when traffic on the country’s road network is closely monitored, with September marking the return to normal movement rates for work and education, a period in which fuel costs gain greater weight for households and businesses.