Portugal’s Environment Minister is considering temporary price controls on fuel amid public concern over rising costs. The Minister has given the national regulator 20 days to investigate the discrepancy in how fuel prices react to crude oil fluctuations – specifically, why increases are immediately passed on to consumers, but decreases are not. This potential intervention signals growing government pressure to address the economic impact of volatile oil markets. The move aims to protect consumers from perceived unfair pricing practices at the pump. Details on how any price caps would be implemented remain unclear, but the government’s threat indicates a willingness to directly intervene in the fuel market. The investigation will focus on identifying potential causes for the asymmetric response to oil price changes.