At the peak of the unprecedented increase in fuel prices, after the war in Ukraine the Albanian government took control of the oil price ceiling through the creation of a special board. 

In recent weeks, the decisions of the board are going in favor of the oil companies more than the citizens, as the prices in the stock exchanges are falling, while in Albania they are increasing. 

"Global Price Index" recently ranked Albania with the highest oil prices globally. Albania ranked 14th in the world for the price of a liter of diesel, leaving behind developed countries such as Singapore and Germany. 

According to the Global Price Index, a liter of diesel in Albania cost 1.95 euros on August 18, because the Board the day before decided to further increase the price instead of reducing it. 

In the previous reports of Global Price, Albania was ranked among the 20 countries with the highest oil prices in the world, but recently it is moving towards the top for the highest prices as the price reduction in the stock market is not being reflected with the same speed. as in other countries. 

A barrel of oil is trading today at 94 USD, up from more than 100 USD a week ago and 110 USD in early August. 

Even the reference indicator of refined oil, Platts, which companies import in Albania, has dropped to 900 dollars/ton, from 930 dollars per ton that was a week ago. 

From March 12, ceiling retail and wholesale prices traded in the country are set by the Transparency Board established by the government, based on a formula that takes into account the purchase price on stock exchanges, taxes, operating costs, profit margin, exchange rate of dollar (the currency with which oil is bought on the stock market). 

The history of these five and a half months that the prices are set by the Board has shown that the mechanization created by the government to control prices and to make transparency, has failed to perform any of these functions, according to an article by Monitor.