It is Friday morning in the island capital of Chalkida on Euboea. Dimitri is standing with his 23-year-old French small car at the gas pump. He watches the display with a worried expression: the euro numbers are rising faster than the liters.

A liter of petrol costs around 1.80 euros at the petrol stations in the area. At the same time on the mainland, near Thiva, it is 1.71 euros. “Two cents more every day,” complains Dimitri.

I show him the current prices in Germany on my cell phone. At a self-service gas station in Stolberg in the Rhineland, a liter costs 1,949 euros at this hour – more than 14 cents more expensive. Dimitri can hardly believe that prices in Germany fluctuate so much over the course of a day.

“It’s like here at the beginning of the Ukraine war”

I show him more screenshots. Before the war, Germans paid five to ten cents less per liter than the Greeks. When it came to heating oil, the difference was more than 20 cents. The price jump in Germany is therefore significantly larger.

“It’s like we had at the beginning of the Ukraine war,” says Dimitri spontaneously. At that time, prices in Greece shot up uncontrollably. “Aren’t people in Germany resisting this rip-off?” I don’t have a good answer.

Dimitri depends on his car. The father of the family commutes around 40 kilometers every day for shift work. There is no public transport on this route. He would like to buy an electric car.

But it needs power for trailer trips in agriculture. The appropriate models are far too expensive. So the old small car has to keep going with more than 400,000 kilometers. Like many others, Dimitri hopes to enter politics.

Media reports on intensive controls

During the energy crisis following the Ukraine invasion, Greece also intervened. There were price controls, income-related subsidies and caps on profit margins. Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou has already announced new measures on state television if they become necessary.

The government wants Panic buying and price gouging impede. Every day the media reports on intensive checks at gas stations. In Nea Artaki, the second largest town on the island, I ask about price developments at an AVIN gas station. The plant is part of a refinery. The employees willingly provide information. Important to know: In Greece, heating oil is also sold at gas stations.

The day before it cost almost ten cents less here. Before the war the price was around 1.15 to 1.16 euros per liter. Today it is 1,289 euros. The refinery sets the prices. They change with every new delivery. Anyone who does not adhere to this risk being closed due to usury during inspections.

“What are the Germans doing? Waiting and freezing?”

I compare the price of heating oil with Germany on my cell phone. For 3000 liters in Aachen I get around 1.34 euros per liter. “And for smaller quantities? Let’s say 200 liters?” asks the employee.

The comparison portals usually do not allow information below 500 liters. With this quantity I would have to pay at least 1,611 euros per liter. The gas station attendant only believes it when he looks at my cell phone. The delivery date is also listed there: March 13, 2026.

“What will the Germans do if the tank is empty today? Wait and freeze?” I show him the prices for an express delivery: for just 500 liters they can be over 2.60 euros per liter. The man laughs in disbelief.

Other things also seem unusual here. In Greece there are still employees at the gas pumps. Self-service gas stations are unknown. Just 100 meters away, an entrepreneur runs a Revoil gas station. I ask about his profit margin. He says he needs at least twelve to 15 cents gross per liter to work profitably.

The staff advise me to wait

I show him figures from Germany: one to two cents gross per liter. “But we have the most expensive electricity in Europe,” he replies. This is a frequent accusation from Greek opposition politicians. In fact, according to the comparison portal Verivox, the average electricity price in Germany is 31.24 cents per kilowatt hour. In Greece it is an average of 23.63 cents including taxes.

Gasoline prices like those in Germany also exist in Albania, adds a gas station attendant. Relatives told him that it was around 1.94 euros per liter. Energy prices are also the dominant topic in southeastern Europe. Given the wages there, mobility quickly becomes a luxury.

The staff advise me to wait. A new delivery from the refinery is pending. Shortly thereafter, prices actually rise. Eurosuper 95 climbs from 1,799 to 1,815 euros per liter. For diesel, the jump is significantly greater: from 1,575 to 1,791 euros.

No sign of panic so far

At another gas station in town, this time from Shell, the trend was confirmed to me. Diesel is particularly popular. The evening before I had quoted 1.68 euros per liter here. On Friday lunchtime it is 1,748 euros.

The gas station attendant is surprisingly well informed. “In Europe, diesel is now often more expensive than petrol,” he says. This could also affect Greece. A high diesel price would increase transport costs – and thus drive up many other prices.

To prevent this, the government wants to act quickly. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the responsible ministries are expected to present their first proposals on Monday.

So far there is no sign of panic at the gas stations. There are never more than four or five cars at the pumps throughout the day. The employees say there were no long queues in the previous days.