South Stream, BetaPhoto / Dragan Gojic
Bulgaria’s decision to levy a tax on Russian natural gas transiting through its territory constitutes an adversarial measure against Hungary and Serbia, it was said in a joint statement issued on Oct. 18 by Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali and Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto.
According to the press release, published on the Serbian Government website, the levy endangers both countries’ energy supply.
“Such a step undermines European solidarity and threatens the energy security of both a European Union member country and a candidate country. . . Hungary and Serbia will align their stance and respond appropriately to Bulgaria’s controversial decision,” reads the statement, issued in response to Bulgaria introducing a levy of USD10.76 per 100 cubic meters of Russian gas delivered through its territory to third-party countries.
Both Serbia and Hungary also underlined that the EU has not prohibited the delivery of natural gas from Russia, which, according to their statement, proves the justification offered by Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov “completely false.”
To get full access to all content of interest see our
Subscription offer
Or
Register for free
And read up to 5 articles each month.
Already have an account? Please Log in.