Hungary, Serbia and North Macedonia threaten legal action against the new Bulgarian tax on Russian transit gas. The European Commission is looking for its line.
With a new transit tax on Russian gas, the Bulgarian government has greatly inconvenienced its customers. Although the Sofia government claims the new tax will only affect Russia’s Gazprom, Hungary, Serbia and North Macedonia expect higher consumer prices – and threaten legal action.
Of all people, Europe’s staunch permanent soloists severely demand solidarity from their EU partners. In a joint statement in mid-October, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Serbian Finance Minister Siniša Mali denounced the Bulgarian government’s decision to impose a transit tax of 10.2 euros per megawatt-hour as a “hostile act” that was “directed against Hungary and Serbia”. .” Russian gas deliveries: The decision threatens the energy security of both countries – and “undermines European solidarity”.
Due to Sofia’s refusal to pay for Russian gas deliveries in rubles, Moscow had already imposed a suspension of deliveries to Bulgaria in April 2022. Gas deliveries in transit from Russia to neighboring countries and Hungary, which pay in rubles, have so far been passed on by Bulgaria to end users without any problems. Only now has Bulgaria’s new pro-Western government introduced a controversial special tax on Russian transit gas: the sanctions imposed by Sofia have really angered its end users.