At the Energy Council on 30 May, the Austrian, Czech, Hungarian and Slovak delegations will present a briefing note, seen by Agence Europe, outlining their concerns about the impact of the German gas storage neutrality tax (‘Gasspeicherumlage’) on prices and energy security in the Central and Eastern European region.
Already mentioned at the previous Energy Council on 4 March (see EUROPE 13363/2), this tax was introduced in Germany in October 2022 to offset the costs of purchasing and storing gas during the energy crisis, following new EU requirements on gas storage levels.
The authors of the information note regret that the tax has “considerably increased costs for gas traders, ultimately leading to higher gas prices for consumers”.
Germany has also decided to extend the levy until April 2027, with a further increase from 1 July 2024, from €1.86 to €2.50/MWh.
In particular, the four delegations deplore the fact that rising transit costs are “disproportionately” affecting the Central and Eastern European region and undermining efforts to diversify energy sources, making these landlocked countries more dependent on gas imports from Russia.
They add that the planned end to the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine by the end of the year could considerably reduce the security of supply for the whole region.
The delegations therefore call for a further in-depth discussion on this issue and ask the European Commission to take action to address this situation by promoting greater coordination at European level. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)