Bulgaria taxes Russian gas and annoys its neighbors – Liberation

Sofia has imposed taxes on Russian gas passing through its border before reaching Serbia and Hungary. The controversial decision drew the ire of Belgrade and Budapest, which are big buyers of Russian hydrocarbons, even within the country.

Bulgaria is a powerhouse even on a European scale. The country has no gas, no oil, and only a few lignite mines, whose coal is used to generate electricity domestically. However, Sophia discovered the energy weapon in recent weeks. On October 13, parliament voted to impose a new tax of 10.20 euros (20 leva) on every megawatt hour of Russian gas passing through the Bulgarian part of Turk Stream. The gas pipeline was inaugurated in 2020 by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, connecting Russian gas fields to Turkey and then to Europe via Bulgaria.

The project has not generated the same controversy as its cousins ​​Nord Stream 1 and 2, although its aims are similar: to exclude Ukraine and increase Europe’s dependence on Russian hydrocarbons. Today, it lies in Serbia and Hungary, near Moscow, through which Russian gas is supplied. L