International dispute! Slovakia filed a complaint against Germany: Unfair fees for non-Russian gas

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BRATISLAVA – After the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, Germany bought billions of cubic meters of non-Russian gas. That was at the time of the energy crisis, when prices were breaking records. In the meantime, gas prices have already fallen and Germany needs to plug this hole in the budget. It was decided to levy a fee for the storage of natural gas, which makes its price even higher in our country. Together with the V4 partners and Austria, we called on the European Commission to take legal action against Germany.

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Filling station for compressed natural gas (Source: TASR/Erika Ďurčová)

According to Austria and the V4 countries, including Slovakia, the cross-border duty on German natural gas reserves undermines the effort to get rid of dependence on Russian gas. According to the European Commission, the fees may violate the rules of the Union’s single market and threaten its cohesion. The portal informs about it euractive.

Germany has built the largest natural gas storage capacities in Europe. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Germans bought non-Russian gas for more than ten billion euros. They decided to compensate for the shortfall in the budget in connection with the gradual lowering of natural gas prices with a cross-border fee. It has more than tripled since its introduction in 2022, which may run afoul of EU single market rules that prohibit any tariffs on trade between the bloc’s countries.

Slovakia joined the complaint

The fee has already increased to 1.86 euros per megawatt-hour of gas, which Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia did not like, and they filed a complaint with Brussels in which they claim that Germany is making their efforts to get rid of their dependence on Russian gas imports more expensive. Back in March, the V4 countries and Austria called on the European Commission to take legal action against Germany at a meeting of energy ministers. According to them, the fee has negative consequences for energy security and consumers.

Europe may face a harsh winter: Dependence on Russian gas remains (Source: Getty Images)

Germany defends itself

Germany’s Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection declined to comment on the complaints, saying the fee does not discriminate against anyone. A spokesman for the German ministry recalled that EU countries benefited from the fact that Germany quickly filled its huge gas reserves. According to him, the measures contributed decisively to European supply security and price stabilization. The situation will be resolved by the European Commission and the dispute may result in a financial fine. But that can take months.