The price of diesel in Belgium is significantly more expensive than in the rest of the European Union.
This has a great deal to do with the large proportion of taxes and excise duties on top of the "pure" diesel price, according to European Commission figures analysed by De Tijd.
According to the Commission’s calculations, 42.5% of the average price per litre paid by diesel drivers in Belgium last week went towards various government taxes. The only EU countries where the tax-to-total price ratio is higher are Malta and Italy.
However, even in neighbouring countries such as France and Germany – where high fuel prices are contributing to political unrest – more than 40% of the diesel price consists of various taxes. Meanwhile, Sweden and Spain are at the other end of the spectrum at 25.3% and 26.7% respectively.
Uncertainty and supply issues
The ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine have resulted in global supply issues, which in turn have caused the rise of diesel prices across Europe in recent weeks. Just last week, the statutory maximum price for diesel in Belgium exceeded €2.50/L for the first time in history.
Currently, the latest available figures show that Belgium ranks fifth in the EU with an average price of €2.39/L. The most expensive country is the Netherlands (€2.58/L), just ahead of Finland and Denmark.
Slightly more expensive than Belgium is Germany (€2.48/L) in fourth place, and in sixth place is France (€2.38/L) at one cent per litre cheaper than Belgium.
There are currently only eight EU Member States recording an average diesel price below €2 per litre: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez and Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) in Parliament in Brussels, Thursday 05 June 2025. Credit: Belga
In Belgium’s Federal Parliament, the opposition parties and the Francophone liberal MR party are calling for measures to combat the high fuel prices.
However, like earlier this year, Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) is pointing to Belgium’s difficult budget negotiations – making clear that there is very little manoeuvring room for extra measures.
"Anyone calling for measures must understand that every expenditure has to be matched by revenue," he said.
The Federal Government is seeking at least €10 billion to curb the country’s budget deficit by mid-October, when the country’s budget needs to be presented to the European Commission.
