Serbia extends oil export ban until October 31

The deadline for Serbia’s temporary ban on exporting oil and petroleum derivatives has been pushed back from September 30 to October 31. The caretaker government adopted the decision to amend the ban on September 24, and it took effect today, September 26, upon publication in the Official Gazette.

At the same session, the government also extended the temporary 25 percent cut to excise duties on petroleum derivatives. The deadline for that measure was moved from September 27 to October 4, under an amendment published in Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia No. 87/26. The text of the decision reads:

“The Government hereby adopts a decision amending the Decision on the temporary reduction of excise duties on petroleum derivatives under Article 9, paragraph 1, items 1), 2) and 3) of the Excise Duties Law… in item 2, the words ‘September 27, 2026’ are replaced with the words ‘October 4, 2026.’”

With the reduced excise duties in place, prices per liter remain at 57.41 dinars for leaded gasoline, 54 dinars for unleaded gasoline, and 55.53 dinars for gas oil. The decision took effect on the day it was published in the Official Gazette.

The government first introduced the ban on exports of oil and all petroleum derivatives on March 9, at an extraordinary session, with a deadline of March 19. The measure has been extended continuously ever since, with officials citing the need to protect the domestic market from shortages and price spikes amid disruptions on the global oil market. Today’s decision marks another in that string of extensions, now in its sixth consecutive month. The text of the decision lists no exceptions to the export ban.

Srpske Novine has previously reported on the government’s decision to release 5,000 tons of diesel from state commodity reserves onto the market, a measure aimed at the same goal: keeping the domestic supply of petroleum derivatives stable while the export ban remains in force.