ROME — Tamoil has officially joined the private cap on fuel prices in Italy, as part of the government’s attempt to contain rising costs at the pump, despite warnings that the emergency mechanism is distorting the market.
The Italian government has confirmed that, after “very advanced” talks between the Prime Minister’s office and the Libyan government, Tamoil has agreed to join Q8, Eni, and IP in limiting prices at its service stations.
Why it matters: Tamoil’s entry expands a patchwork system of reductions that has already helped to curb average pump prices. However, independent operators argue that the mechanism is squeezing margins, while key sectors such as fishing, agriculture, and road haulage remain excluded from the discounts.
- Average self-service gasoline prices fell to €2.111 per liter from €2.126 on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy’s observatory.
- Diesel dropped to €2.316 per liter from €2.335.
- Eni, IP, Q8, and now Tamoil together cover more than half of the Italian market.
- The discounts apply to retail fuel stations but not to networks dedicated to road transport, agriculture, and fishing.
Behind the scenes: the paradox of private caps. The intervention is already generating unusual market dynamics.
- Independent distributors — the so-called “white pumps” — purchase fuel from the same major groups that have introduced the caps.
- With Eni, IP, Q8, and Tamoil lowering prices in their networks, they attract more customers. But small operators complain that reduced wholesale availability is driving up procurement costs, eroding margins and preventing them from competing.
The result: In some cases, major brands’ prices are now lower than those of independents.
- “We also need a sense of responsibility in managing the supply chain, starting with the producers themselves,” said Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin.
The political knot. Operators are asking Rome to consider a different model.
- Fegica, the distributors’ union, argues that in Europe caps work only if set by governments — citing Belgium and Luxembourg, and noting that Germany has also announced a similar measure.
- “If it is imposed by a private market leader, imbalances are inevitable,” Fegica said.
- Fegica and Faib-Confesercenti have submitted a proposal to the Senate for a public cap, believing that “only in this way can fair measures be achieved.”
The gap: fishing and professional fuels. Current discounts do not cover all users.
- Confcooperative Agroalimentare e Pesca notes that diesel for fishing has risen by up to 200% since the start of the war in Iran.
- In Porto Empedocle, Sicily, fishermen have announced they will not go out to sea tomorrow due to costs.
- “Better to stay ashore than go into debt,” they said.
What to expect: With Tamoil already in the system, the next step will be to see whether the government can maintain the voluntary discount strategy without increasing pressure on independents — and whether it will extend the benefits to currently excluded sectors.
