The German Federal Cartel Office has intensified its oversight of the petroleum industry following the implementation of new regulatory standards designed to curb unfair pricing. Andreas Mundt, President of the Office, confirmed on April 9, 2026, that formal requests for information have been dispatched to all refineries operating in Germany. This move is escalation in the authority’s attempt to deconstruct the “rockets and feathers” pricing phenomenon, where consumer costs surge rapidly during crises but retreat sluggishly when crude oil prices fall.
Under the newly enacted Section 29a of the German Competition Act, the burden of proof has shifted. Refineries and wholesalers must now proactively demonstrate that their pricing structures are justified and do not unreasonably exceed operational costs. The investigation seeks granular detail on corporate hierarchies, crude oil purchasing responsibilities, and the specific factors influencing current diesel and gasoline rates. Mundt emphasized that the decoupling of diesel prices from crude oil at the wholesale level is a primary area of concern that requires immediate explanation from industry leaders.
Further supporting market clarity is the introduction of the “12 o’clock rule,” modeled after the Austrian system. By restricting stations to a single price increase per day at noon, the government aims to end the volatility of up to 50 daily price fluctuations. While the Federal Cartel Office cannot set price limits or intervene ad hoc, Mundt believes these measures restore the original intent of market transparency. By monitoring compliance and analyzing cost structures, the authority intends to ensure that geopolitical tensions, such as the current crisis in Iran, are not used as a pretext for exploitative margins. The Office remains in close coordination with European counterparts to identify discrepancies across borders, ensuring that due process remains the cornerstone of this high-priority sector investigation.
