Think we have it bad on gas prices- think again

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Do you think you are paying a lot for gasoline? Think of Europeans, who may be enjoying a strong euro exchange rate, but have to shell out plenty of euros to fill their tanks. The average price of gasoline in Europe is now double that of the U.S.

The Slovakian news service Tasr reported today on the frighteningly high prices European Union citizens are paying for fuel. The service concluded that gasoline is priced lowest of the EU countries in Lithuania, at $1.72 per liter. It's currently most expensive, at $2.65 per liter, in the Netherlands. Quadruple those numbers to get the price per gallon, and you see why Europeans are troubled by the situation. Bloomberg News reported that its own statistics show gasoline north of $8 per gallon in most of Western Europe. Norway's high gas taxes mean consumers are paying $9.69 per gallon of gasoline, and Germans are paying $8.33.

For diesel, Tasr said, the cheapest is currently in Malta, at $1.77 per liter, and the most expensive in Great Britain, at $2.50 — which is the equivalent of a sobering $10 per gallon.

The New York Times reported today that Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France, has called on the European Union to put a cap on fuel taxes — but the proposal is opposed by countries that need the fuel tax income.

Meanwhile, truck drivers blockaded a highway in London, fishermen did likewise at ports in France and average citizens told reporters the situation is "a meltdown" and "nightmarish."

What this means to you: Where will it all end? That's what we'd all like to know. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent