Today, Ċikku will have to spend €30 to fill his fuel tank every week with 20 litres of unleaded fuel, while Stanislav in Poland will get €10 change from €30 for the same amount of litres of unleaded fuel, which he can spend on two bottles of vodka or five cappuccinos per week, depending on the mood.
The ‘saved’ money could also go towards a holiday or to cover his annual motor vehicle running expenses. Not a bad deal for Stanislav at all!
Could this be some kind of Machiavellian plan to encourage commuters to use public transport, giving a helping hand to Autobuses de Léon? Hardly, because even there Stanislav gets a better deal since it costs him the equivalent of 24 cents for a bus day ticket in Warsaw as opposed to €1.50 here. More cappuccinos for him yet again!
I’m not sure whether Ċikku is annoyed at this fact, but I sense a hint of envy more than disappointment in all this. Ċikku has been accustomed to paying these high prices though and saving is more than welcome.
It seems that all other EU citizens seem to be laughing all the way to the pumps and Ċikku, who pays €1.44 per litre of unleaded fuel, can only console himself (over a cappuccino?) with Carlo in Italy who pays €1.513/litre, Ida in Denmark (€1.449) and Lars in Holland (€1.549), seeing that he pays €1.44 per litre.
Whether Ċikku should blame the government or Enemalta for robbing him €10 a week is debatable. What he should do is ask questions. Questions as to whether Enemalta’s decision to get into hedging agreements was a wise one; whether the agreements themselves were favourable; whether we made any savings overall through the agreements that would counter the losses today.
Ċikku can also blame the lack of information forthcoming, especially in the energy and fuel sectors, which seem to be covered in a shroud more mysterious than that of Turin, all in the name of national security which more than fuels (excuse the pun) unnecessary speculation and disarray.
In the meantime, Ċikku can only hope that the hedging agreements terminate soon, so he can join Stanislav for a coffee, while consoling Lars, Ida and Carlo.
Hopefully Enemalta will get it right next time round.
• On a separate note, this month we heard of the fatal traffic accident of a German tourist, who was hit by a car in Sliema after the driver, it is being claimed, suffered an epileptic fit which caused him to black out.
Withoug going into the merits of the case, I reiterate my point for the need to present medical certificates when applying or renewing licences and at regular intervals throughout the driving days.
Lives can be saved.
motoring@timesofmalta.com