The European Commission is taking into account the recently adopted measure by Bulgaria regarding the transit fees on the import of Russian gas. Where the revenues from the transit fees will go is a matter for the Bulgarian authorities, as this is a national measure.
This was said by the spokesperson of the European Commission, Tim McPhee, in a comment on Bulgaria's decision from October 14 to increase the fees on the transit of natural gas from Russia, a BGNES reporter reported.
"We are in close contact with Bulgaria and other affected countries to assess and discuss the possible effects of this measure," he added.
Asked if the decision was made with a view to EU-wide sanctions against Moscow, McPhee said: "In terms of EU sanctions policies, this is something we have talked about many times in the past. EU sanctions are negotiated by member states. So far we have 12 packages from sanctions that cover the energy sector - both coal and oil embargoes. But there are currently no sanctions on gas imports. In the context of our REPOWER EU plan, we are committed to reducing imports of all Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible.
BGNES recalls that on October 14, Bulgaria introduced a tax on Russian gas delivered through its territory to third countries. A day later, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic asked to have a conversation with Rumen Radev regarding the decision to increase transit fees, which was approved by our parliament. Serbia imports Russian natural gas from Bulgaria via "Balkan Stream", which is a continuation of "Turkish Stream". The pipe is owned by the Bulgarian state. /BGNES
