Finland has suggested taxing mixed energy products differently, according to a source contacted by Agence Europe on Monday 25 March. The Member States discussed this issue at the meeting of the High Level Working Party on Tax Questions on Tuesday 26 March.
In February, the Belgian Presidency presented a new compromise on energy taxation, in which it proposed excluding the taxation of firewood and charcoal as well as the taxation of hazardous or municipal waste used as fuel (see EUROPE 13358/12).
This compromise was discussed and other amendments were then proposed by Belgium at the meeting on Wednesday 13 March. “The Presidency is not pushing the issue, it is testing the water to see if a compromise is possible”, said the European source.
Finland then presented its document with its proposal on mixed energy products. These products combine biofuels or electricity with fossil fuels. “There’s still a lot of work to be done”, said the source.
It is proving difficult for the text, presented in 2021, to be concluded. At the European Parliament, a vote is scheduled in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) on Tuesday 9 April. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)