Dutch, Hungarians Yield to Truckers’ Demands for Fuel Concessions

The Netherlands and Hungary handed concessions to truckers Saturday to avoid more of the fuel-price protests that have clogged Europe’s highways, but Germany warned its truckers of a crackdown if blockades there intensified.

British motorists were still lining up at gas stations two days after truckers ended their blockades of oil facilities as the country worked to recover from the protest. Scattered protests continued in parts of Europe.

After initially refusing any subsidies to truckers, the Dutch government agreed to give taxi, bus and trucking companies, as well as other fuel-using firms, about $300 million to compensate for high fuel prices, Dutch television said. Companies also will be granted an extra three months to pay road taxes.

Dutch truckers, who paralyzed highways with roadblocks for nearly a week, halted their protests. They had threatened action on Tuesday, when Queen Beatrix is due to ride through the streets of The Hague in a horse-drawn carriage to parliament to present the annual budget.

Hungarian truckers also had threatened protests, but the government averted demonstrations--for the time being at least--when it agreed Saturday to postpone a 6% increase in excise taxes as long as the world crude oil price exceeds $25 a barrel.

“This was an important achievement for us,” said Istan Galambos, spokesman for the seven organizations representing truckers and taxi drivers. Union officials agreed in return to hold off on any demonstrations while the two sides hold further negotiations this week.

Without the revenues expected from the delayed tax, which had been due to start Jan. 1, “we’ll just grit our teeth and squeeze it out without backtracking on our planned public sector wage hikes and investment plans,” Economics Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy said.

MOL, the Hungarian oil and gas company, raised wholesale gasoline prices by 2.7% and diesel prices 5.4% Friday.

European governments have taken a variety of stances when faced by the trucker protests that have swept across the continent, starting in France on Sept. 4. France granted the truckers a tax break. The British government rejected any changes in its fuel taxes, Europe’s highest.