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Oil consumption at the Macedonian borders triples/ 200 thousand liters per day are purchased by Albanians

2026-04-27 07:16:36, Ekonomi CNA

Oil consumption at the Macedonian borders triples/ 200 thousand liters per day

Border gas stations in North Macedonia have recently seen a tripling of fuel sales, due to increased demand from neighboring countries, mainly Albania and to a lesser extent Greece.

According to official data from the Macedonian government, provided by "Monitor" through correspondent journalists, daily consumption of all types of fuels has increased to 2 million liters.

This figure has also been confirmed by the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, in public appearances.

Of the total consumption, 10% is attributed to foreign citizens, mainly from Albania and Greece, according to official data. This means that about 200 thousand liters of fuel per day are consumed by foreigners. Daily consumption has increased from 1.5 million liters per day to 2 million liters recently, according to official sources.

According to confirmed information, daily consumption at gas stations on the northern, southern and western borders has tripled. These are points on the border with the customs of Greater Dibra and Prespa.

On Friday, a liter of diesel was trading in North Macedonia for 1.52 euros. In Albania, diesel is trading at 202 lekë, or almost 2.1 euros, almost 40% more than in the neighboring country.

Gasoline in North Macedonia is traded at 1.3 to 1.34 euros, while in Albania at 176 lekë, or 1.8 euros.

Even before the crisis began, many Albanian cars were supplied with fuel in North Macedonia. In February, a liter of diesel was sold in North Macedonia for 1.1-1.2 euros, while in Albania it was 165-175 lek (1.7-1.8 euros).

After the sharp increase in prices, the trend has become more pronounced. Albanian fuel traders also confirmed this to Monitor.

After the fuel price hike in Bursa, the North Macedonian government intervened quickly to prevent the sharp increase in oil prices. Three weeks after the official start of military operations in the Middle East, on March 22, the government took the first decision to intervene in fuel prices.

Specifically, VAT was reduced from 18% to 10% and a state of energy crisis was declared to create legal opportunities for the release of fuel oil from state reserves.

On April 5, 2026, the Government made a second decision, that the VAT reduction remains in force until the end of the crisis, while excise duties were also reduced: for diesel by 0.06 euro cents and for gasoline by 0.03 euro cents per liter. According to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, North Macedonia remains the country with the lowest fuel prices in the region.

Albania has only taken one measure to reduce excise duty by 20% if the price exceeds 220 lek per liter, which was implemented for only 5 days in March. The Fuel Transparency Board has also been reactivated, but the total savings from the Board's pricing, which is based on the formula of purchase cost plus taxes and a margin for traders, does not exceed five lek per liter.

According to data from the Ministry of Finance and Customs, the annual consumption of fuels in Albania is around 740 thousand tons per year, or around 2000 tons per day (which at the current price of 214 lek per liter translates into a consumption of 5.2 million euros per day).

The Association of Hydrocarbon Companies estimates that around 300-500 tons per day of oil are taken by Albanian customers near the border areas. In addition, another lost consumption of 120-300 tons per day is estimated by foreign citizens, who would potentially buy in Albania, but are supplied at the border entrance and exit.

The data estimates that fuel purchases in neighboring countries are on average 15-25% of total consumption in the country. In addition to North Macedonia, Montenegro is another country where fuel purchases are high, as is Kosovo, although the price of oil in Kosovo has recently increased, it still remains 20-30% cheaper than Albania (1.75 euros/liter in Montenegro and 1.8 euros in Kosovo). /Monitor