The gas transit tax that Bulgaria introduced last week will be reflected in the wallets of the country’s neighbors in the European Union. This was reported by RIA News.
Journalists write that due to Sofia’s decision, the price of Russian gas supplied to the EU via Bulgaria through Turkish Stream will increase by 25 percent, and the initial cost will be about $ 400 per 1 thousand cubic meters of blue fuel. This would make it cost the same as expensive liquefied natural gas.
The situation has led to sharp discontent among Bulgaria’s neighbors in the European Union, the agency writes. Therefore, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó expressed fear that additional costs would fall on Budapest. In Greece, they even believe that Gazprom should pay a premium.
Overall, some countries consider Sofia’s decision illegal, and a possible coalition of opponents could include Greece and Hungary, as well as Romania, North Macedonia and Moldova. According to journalists, the consequences of this could be very different: from proceedings in the European Commission to trade wars.
Consumption tax of 10 euros per hour on transit of Russian gas in Bulgaria introduced In October. The country’s Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov stated that this would increase competition in the gas market. However, the heads of foreign ministries of Hungary and Serbia expressed concern that such a decision by Sofia would threaten their countries’ energy security.
Previously recognizedThe EU has become the largest buyer of Russia’s liquefied gas.