Any decision on fuel prices will be dealt with as part of the federal budget talks, Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Thursday.
He warned, at the same time, that state intervention would be very costly and would have to be offset by other measures.
As fuel prices continue to rise, calls for government action have grown from both the opposition and parties within the governing majority.
In the Chamber, the Socialist Party, Belgian Workers Party, Ecolo-Groen, Vlaams Belang and Les Engagés all renewed their demands, but failed to shift the federal government’s position.
“All of this must be discussed within the context of the budget,” De Wever said.
Echoing remarks made last week by Finance Minister Jan Jambon in a parliamentary committee, he argued that any intervention would bring limited benefit at a high cost.
“For savings of just a few euros, the state would have to spend hundreds of millions of euros,” he argued, adding that the money would have to be found elsewhere.
“Anyone calling for measures must understand that every expenditure has to be matched by revenue,” he said.
De Wever also described as “sensible” a letter sent by French President Emmanuel Macron to the president of the European Commission.
In it, Macron calls for several temporary relaxations to strengthen short-term fuel and gas import and production capacity.
Among the measures sought is a loosening of European fuel quality specifications.
