BRATISLAVA, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Slovakia will cap the retail margin on petrol and diesel at 10 euro cents (11 U.S. cents) per liter from Oct. 1, the country's Prime Minister Robert Fico announced Wednesday.
The measure is aimed at limiting the impact of rising fuel prices on consumers. The government will also cut fares for second-class train tickets by 50 percent from Oct. 1 in response to rising fuel prices, Fico said.
Fico said the measure would not prevent fuel prices from rising if global crude oil prices continued to increase.
"If the price of a barrel rises, fuel prices will also rise," he said, adding that the measure was intended to limit excessive markups by retailers and encourage them to behave responsibly, and the government's objective is to remain among the half of EU member states with lower fuel prices. ■