Retail fuel prices increased again on 16 July, adding a fresh cost shock for road transport, construction, agriculture and tourism businesses. Eurodiesel rose by €0.09 to €1.67 per litre, while heating oil increased €0.07 to €1.58. Eurosuper 95 now costs €1.64, and Eurosuper 98 €1.68 per litre.
Since the start of 2026, petrol prices have risen by around 21 per cent, while diesel and heating oil are approximately 31–32 per cent more expensive. A 50-litre diesel fill now costs €20 more than at the beginning of the year.
The Government has limited the shock through temporary excise reductions, including a 50 per cent cut for diesel and 25 per cent reductions for the two petrol grades. Without that intervention, diesel would have exceeded €2 a litre during the spring supply disruption.
The fiscal protection has therefore transferred part of the energy shock from consumers to the state budget. That helps household demand and tourism-sector margins in the short term but reduces excise revenue while Montenegro’s capital-investment and social-spending commitments are expanding.
Diesel inflation has an unusually wide transmission mechanism in Montenegro because of the country’s import dependence, mountainous road network and limited rail-freight penetration. Higher haulage costs feed into food, construction materials, waste collection, hotel supplies and municipal works. Contractors with fixed-price agreements face particular pressure where contracts do not contain adequate fuel-indexation clauses.
