Legal action against the German gas plan is on the agenda of the European Commission

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency quoting “Berliner Zeitung” newspaper, Germany has increased its gas prices for neighboring countries due to the loss of gas deliveries from Russia. The European Union Commission has now threatened to take legal action against Berlin’s move. Ukraine costs Germany a lot. These losses should be compensated through higher costs for exports in Europe. From the perspective of the EU Commission, this violates internal market rules. Reuters news agency reported on Wednesday, now the European Commission has threatened to sue Berlin because of this action. The country has imposed a so-called neutrality tax on the sale of gas to its neighboring countries. The fee, which Germany introduced in October 2022, has since more than tripled, according to Reuters. According to some governments, this violates the Union’s internal market rules, which prohibit any tariffs on trade between member states. Therefore, the EU Commission is now considering opening so-called infringement proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany.

The complaint, according to sources not identified by Reuters, It may be planned in the coming days. A spokesperson for the European Commission spoke to the news agency cautiously about the reports, saying it was still in contact with German authorities on the matter and would not speculate on the possible opening of an infringement investigation. According to him, if a complaint is filed, the procedure for violation of the European Union begins with a notice requesting information, followed by a request to comply with the laws of the European Union. He emphasized: The next process may take months.

The German Federal Ministry of Economy, in response to a question from Reuters, did not understand much about this threat complaint. has expressed The tax is non-discriminatory and other countries have benefited from the fact that Germany is rapidly filling its huge gas reserves, the ministry said. The spokesperson of this ministry told this news agency: “This action has made a decisive contribution to the security of supply and price stability in Europe”. The Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary are pressuring the Commission to take action against the German tax plan. According to this report, the EU energy regulator ACER has stated that such costs have led to an increase in gas prices in some EU countries and should not be applied to cross-border trade.

Due to the increase in prices, the EU Commission is also worried that the affected countries will resort to Russian gas again. Germany’s Ministry of Economic Affairs dismissed these concerns, telling Reuters: “Trade between member states will not be restricted by these tariffs, so there is no reason to switch to Russian gas.” Now it remains to be seen when and when the European Union complaint will be officially filed.

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