Special Cabinet meeting to review policy draft as Ekniti updates oil fund plan

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is due to lead a special Cabinet meeting on Monday night immediately after the new ministers are sworn in, with the session expected to focus on reviewing the government’s draft policy statement ahead of its submission to Parliament.

According to reports from Government House, the new Cabinet is scheduled to attend the oath-taking ceremony at 7pm on April 6 at Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, Dusit Palace. After that, Anutin is expected to chair a special Cabinet meeting at Santi Maitree Building, Government House.

The main purpose of the meeting is to allow the new Cabinet to acknowledge and review the draft policy statement that will be presented to Parliament on April 9-10. That step is regarded as the final constitutional procedure before the prime minister and his new ministers can exercise full governing authority.

The draft policy statement is reported to run to 19 pages and is divided into five broad areas: the economy; foreign affairs and security; society; disaster management and the environment; and public administration and legal reform.

It is also expected to highlight the achievements of the government’s “Quick Big Win” approach carried over from the previous administration, while stressing continuity in key policies and placing fresh weight on the worsening energy crisis and surging oil prices. The statement is set to frame the current moment as one of heightened global uncertainty, driven by the severe conflict in the Middle East, which has disrupted the production and transport of crude oil and natural gas, reduced global supply and pushed energy prices sharply higher.

Against that backdrop, the government is expected to emphasise the interim measures it has already pursued through caretaker powers, including stronger consular protection for Thai nationals overseas, efforts to secure adequate domestic fuel supplies, and support for production inputs in industry and agriculture affected by the conflict. These include fertiliser, industrial chemicals and petrochemical feedstocks whose costs are closely tied to energy prices.

The draft also points to efforts to manage domestic fuel and energy prices while increasing the share of biofuels to reduce reliance on imported oil. That strategy is also intended to lift demand for agricultural products and residues, helping support farm incomes, alongside energy-saving measures in state agencies.

One of the most closely watched items at the special Cabinet meeting will be an update from Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, who chairs the committee studying the appropriate structure of fuel prices. He is expected to brief ministers on talks with refinery operators about contributing excess profits earned during periods of unusually high refining margins to the Oil Fuel Fund, with the aim of easing pump prices.

The Energy Ministry is also expected to report on the readiness of the fuel fund management system to borrow money to shore up liquidity, as the Oil Fuel Fund’s deficit has already widened beyond 50 billion baht. Additional funding is seen as necessary if the government is to keep cushioning domestic retail prices.

Looking beyond tonight’s meeting, another special Cabinet session is expected on April 11, after the parliamentary policy statement, to approve budgets and urgent projects aimed at easing the impact of high energy costs and living expenses on different groups of people. Thai media have reported that ministries have already prepared packages for Cabinet consideration.