Why is fuel more expensive in the ( EU... )

Yes, it's called Taxes. Real high taxes. Someone has to pay for your welfare State.

 

see below

 

just a couple of facts here:

Germany - 65.45 eurocents per gallon is taxes. plus Value Added Tax (19%) on the fuel itself and the Fuel Tax. That adds up to prices of 1.19 Euro per litre for ultra-low sulphur Diesel and 1.37 Euro per litre (approximately USD$7.615 per gallon) for unleaded petrol.

Netherlands - The 2007 fuel tax was € 0,684 per litre or $ 3,5 per gallon. On top of that is 19% VAT over the entire fuel price, making the Dutch taxes one of the highest in the world

UK - they slap a 17.5% value added tax on both the gas AND the duty paid on importing the gas. This is the equivalent of 65p, or $4.84 in taxes per gallon!

In the US, prices vary State to State because of State tax rates on fuel: Alaska taxes 8 cents per gallon. California taxes 44 cents. Federal tax is around 63 cents per gallon. High, but not nearly as high as Europe.

There's your answer. You're not happy with your cost in Europe? All that free stuff you guys get? Health care, unemployment, etc etc?? WAKE UP CALL -- It costs money!! It's not actually free. You're paying it.

 

I think you have missed the point of the OPs post.
The question is that even though the value of the Euro has climbed more than the value of a litre of crude oil the price of petrol and diesel at the pump has risen by over 50%!
Has the tax on petrol and diesel increased by so much that it has pushed the price up by over 50% or have the oil companies and resellers increased their profit margin by this much? I believe there was tax on petrol and diesel in the year 2000 so what has happened to the price that even though the value of a barrel of crude is now less in euro than it was in 2000, the price at the pump is up.

The key is here;
In 2000 1 barrel oil costs 72 euro
in 2008 a barrel is 70 euro now

Flying White Dutchman, can you tell us if taxes have increased by so much in the last 8 years?

 

you're right. I misinterpreted the question.

It's supply and demand. If people there bought less, the cost would decrease. I don't think there is collusion going on in europe to raise the price. The price of crude has soared I think more than 50% in the last year alone. The exchange rate hasn't changed that much.

 

Cut consumption?
Last time I was in England I hired a 1.6 litre Vauxhall Meriva

I was asked why I hired such a big car!!

The price of the Euro has also gone up 50%.

For supply and demand read profiteering and taking advantage of an ignorant population. It is convenient that oil prices are reported in US dollars around the world for these oil companies, I suspect the same price gouging is happening here.

 

Perhaps the Kyoto treaty and European laws restricting CO2 emissions have increased the refining costs, therefore leading to higher prices, even though the raw materials are effectively the same price. The difference still seems a bit high to be solely the result of that, but I'm sure it accounts for a part of the difference.