Petrol station owners call for urgent meeting with president, action over north fuel sales

The union of petrol station owners has called for an urgent meeting with the president to finally resolve what they say is the unacceptable purchasing of petrol from the north.

The core of their grievance is that the public is spending millions of euros each month in the north filling up on cheaper fuel – and the Republic is doing nothing to stop it.

Christodoulos Christodoulou, spokesman for the petrol station owners, told Alpha on Friday that the matter has serious implications not just for their businesses but wider issues of competitiveness, too.

“A lot of smaller businesses are filling up in the north which causes competitiveness imbalances over here, such as taxis, construction companies and so on,” he explained.

The petrol station owners have for years been calling on the government to clamp down on the activity, and in September threatened to report the state to the European Commission.

But the sticking point appears to be the lack of any practical measures in stopping people from filling up in the north. Many point out that Turkish Cypriots fill up their own cars and then cross.

Christodoulou said that the petrol station owners held meetings with President Nikos Christodoulides when he was serving as foreign minister. Christodoulou added that he appeared receptive to their proposals at the time, and wishes to meet with him now in his new capacity as president.

But Christodoulou was quizzed as to whether the stations should not instead focus on reducing the price disparity between the north, therefore reducing the incentives to fill up over there.

“This is certainly something which we will discuss, to take a look at the profit margin, perhaps if we increase the profit margins then let the people go [and fill up in the north],” Christodoulou said.

Asked how the profit margins could be raised, Christodoulou simply said that “there are ways – in coordination with the government this could happen”.

He warned that some petrol stations near the Green Line have seen their sales plummet, hinting that some could receive state aid.

In September, Christodoulou emphasised that there are many ways of checking the content of a vehicle’s fuel which will show whether it was purchased in the north, but that the customs department is not carrying out such checks.

“They don’t want to, there are two to three ways to check – something has to happen, this cannot go on any longer,” Christodoulou said.

He sought to emphasise that about six months ago parliament passed a bill which allows the government to check whether a vehicle’s fuel is in line with EU regulations. Christodoulou clarified that the bill does not refer to the north but that it is a measure which could help solve their issue.

“It’s been six months – why aren’t any checks being carried out?” Christodoulou complained.

But those calling for the checks have themselves come in for criticism, with many questioning how feasible such inspections would be. There are other practical concerns, such as whether Turkish Cypriots would be allowed to drive their cars across with fuel purchased in north.

The row has been rumbling on for years but a weakened lira and lower taxes on fuel in the north – compounded by the rising cost of living – has seen a surge in demand from those in the government-controlled areas for cheaper petrol. That has led to major queues at the various checkpoints to the north and at petrol stations over there.