Page 16 - FSUOGM Week 02 2023

FSUOGM POLICY FSUOGM

Slovak president vetoes taxing of

Russian gas importer

SLOVAKIA SLOVAK President Zuzana Caputova has vetoed offer alternative solutions for dealing away with
a law adopted by parliament that imposed a this potential impact”, the president stated.
Slovakia is heavily windfall tax on Slovak pipeline company Eus- Eustream has criticised the taxation for selec-
reliant on Russian gas. tream, which brings Russian gas to the country. tively aiming at one company. “We consider it to
The law was approved last month as part of be incomprehensible that such a draft law could
an agreement to approve the budget after Prime pass at all,” the company said and signalled that
Minister Eduard Heger’s cabinet was toppled. it would approach the president over the veto.
The agreement included the dismissal of Min- “It’s a flat-rate property tax that we’ll have to pay
ister of Finance Igor Matovic. The presidential regardless of the profits made.” Eustream argued
veto means the law is returned to parliament. that it has been affected by gas disruptions.
Eustream’s pipeline infrastructure has Head of the caretaker cabinet Heger dis-
been key in distributing gas from Russia and missed Eustream’s criticism. “I’ve heard so many
CIS countries to Slovakia, Hungary, Austria worst-case scenarios, so many nightmare sce-
and Czechia since the 1970s. According to its narios painted for my benefit, and yet none of
website it owns and operates a 2,332 km long them have taken place,” he was quoted as saying
gas transit corridor in Slovakia and since 1972 by public broadcaster RTVS.
it has secured the transmission of more than Last autumn EPH also criticised windfall tax
2.3 trillion cubic meters of natural gas across measures adopted in Czechia to collect excessive
Slovakia. profits made by large energy companies on high
Eustream is 51% owned by the Slovak state energy prices. The Czech law is aimed at prof-
through its gas distribution utility Slovensky its made in 2023 and EPH said it will relocate
plynarensky priemysel (SPP) and 49% by EP its trading branch EP Commodities out of the
Infrastructure of energy conglomerate EPH country.
controlled by Czech and Slovak billionaire duo EPH has long been criticised by by NGOs and
Daniel Kretinsky and Patrik Tkac, which has environmental analysts for its alleged disregard
managerial control in Eustream. of climate change issues and for opportunisti-
Caputova’s spokesperson Martin Strizinec cally investing in lignite plants scheduled for
informed local media of the presidential veto on phase-out in order to collect state compensation.
Monday, January 2, arguing that the law could EPH and its owners registered record profits last
threaten the financial stability of the company year.
and its activities as well as threaten energy sta- Caputova vetoed altogether three laws last
bility in Slovakia and the region. “The legislature week, including the environmental assessment
did not take into account these threats nor did it law and the air protection law. ™

P16 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 02 11•January•2023