Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia demand that Brussels take action against Germany in connection with the gas tariff, which they believe undermines their energy security, Reuters and News.bg report. According to the four Central European countries, the measure harms their efforts to wean themselves off the use of Russian gas. This makes it more expensive to buy non-Russian fuel delivered via Germany.
In a joint document, the parties call on the EC to "turn words into concrete actions" to resolve the issue. According to Reuters sources, the commission has already prepared legal action against Germany over the tariff, which is considered a breach of EU single market rules. However, the case has not yet started.
"Together with the planned cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine by the end of this year, the fee will significantly reduce security of supply for the entire CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) region,", the four countries believe.
A spokesman for the German Economy Ministry said the government was in contact with other EU countries and the European Commission to find a solution. They previously said that the imposed measure was non-discriminatory and that other EU countries had benefited during the energy crisis from the rapid filling of German gas storage, which is also the largest in the EU.
EU energy ministers and the commission are expected to discuss the German fee at a meeting in Brussels tomorrow.
Austria and Hungary remain heavily dependent on Russian gas. Austria's energy minister said in February that the country was struggling to diversify its supply and her ministry was considering ending energy company OMV's long-term gas contract with Russia.
The measure was introduced during the energy crisis, which reached its peak in 2022 after Moscow cut gas flows to Europe. Thus a surcharge is imposed on fuel taken from Germany's gas storage facilities in an attempt to recoup funds for buying gas at extremely high prices. Berlin undertook these deals to avoid fuel shortages.
We also remind you that the EU rules for the single market prohibit tariffs on trade between member states.