Poland's CPN fuel relief ends with PLN 4.7bn cost; minister flags possible new intervention
The Polish government's fuel-price reduction package expired on 1 July. The Ministry of Finance disclosed a cost of roughly PLN 4.7 billion and called the programme a success, while energy minister Miłosz Motyka warned that fuel companies lift pump prices far faster than they cut them.
Programme ends after three months
Poland's "Ceny Paliwa Niżej" (Lower Fuel Prices) package concluded on Wednesday after just over three months in force. The scheme was introduced at the end of March 2026 to shield households and businesses from a global fuel crisis driven by conflict in the Middle East.
What the CPN package contained
Under the programme, VAT on petrol, diesel and certain biocomponents was slashed from 23% to 8%. Excise duty was cut by 29 groszy per litre for petrol and 28 groszy for diesel. A maximum-price mechanism also capped what filling stations could charge. The excise reduction expired on 16 June; the VAT cut and the price cap lapsed on 1 July.
- CPN package enters force: reduced VAT, excise, and maximum price caps.
- Reduced excise duty expires.
- Reduced VAT and maximum price mechanism expire.
The Ministry of Finance told the Polish Press Agency that the package cost the state budget about PLN 4.7 billion. June's year-on-year inflation came in at 2.5%, below the 2.7% expected by economists surveyed by PAP Biznes.
The programme proved a success — it lowered costs for households and a large portion of businesses and kept inflation low.
Prices rise sharply, minister pushes back
Energy minister Miłosz Motyka acknowledged that pump prices rose more steeply than he had forecast, by around 80 groszy per litre rather than the "kilkanaście groszy" he had predicted in late June. He attributed the difference to renewed US strikes in the Persian Gulf region, which offset earlier price falls linked to the US-Iran agreement and ongoing peace talks.
Companies raise prices too quickly — sometimes several times in a single day — but when oil prices fall on the exchanges, the cuts at the pump are held back.
Government eyes future measures
Motyka indicated the government may design a mechanism to force fuel firms to pass on crude-price declines more promptly. He cited other countries that have adopted such rules and referenced the windfall-tax idea already floated as part of the CPN package.
I don't rule out that in the future we could create a mechanism that would push companies to raise prices less often.
He stressed that any intervention would be a response to asymmetric pricing behaviour observed during the crisis, flagged in discussions at the International Energy Agency.
