June 11, 2018 - The fuel protests in Montenegro are a campaign held because of the cost of rising petrol and diesel fuel prices for road vehicle use. The aim of the protests is to secure a reduction in the fuel duty rate on petrol and diesel. The protest was primarily led by a group of citizens because of the price of fuel, as well as due to the poor economic situation in the country.
Fuel costs in Montenegro are on average 1,4 EUR per liter, according to Monstat, the state statistics agency. According to the latest information, the diesel fuel price is 1,30 EUR per liter, petrol 98 1,44 EUR per liter, and petrol 95 1,41 EUR per liter. Dissatisfaction of the citizens derived from the high fuel prices, which have risen drastically within the past month.
Montenegrin Minister of Economy Dragica Sekulic said that "there is no reason for panic" due to the fuel price increases. Citizens have found this claim completely inappropriate. Everyone condemned such a bad attitude of the first woman in Montenegrin economy, which is also most likely to be the most sensitive to the already weakened budgets of citizens. Just a year ago, the Government of Montenegro influenced the increase in fuel prices by 11 cents per liter in one day, when it introduced excise duties of nine cents plus VAT. At the time, the reason was not the stock exchange goods, but a budget measure.
On Sunday, June 10, 2018, at 17:00. a group of unsatisfied citizens organized fuel protests by stopping their cars at the main intersections in all the cities of Montenegro for half an hour. A protest call was made a few days ago by the Facebook group "Protest against excessive fuel prices". The group’s administrators announced the cause of the protests: "The protest is organized by all dissatisfied citizens of Montenegro. This is a rebellion not only because of the price of fuel, but also because of the poor economic situation, the migration of the northern people and the arrogance of politicians who do not care about the people but about their own interests. We will try to animate people to stop their cars at the main intersections in all the cities of Montenegro on Sunday at 17:00. The protest should last for half an hour because we do not want to cause traffic collapse and we deliberately chose this date because Sunday participants of the protest will not endanger anyone, we worry about that".
