The reason why Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) wants to sue the European Union (EU) for banning Russian gas, neither the protection of people nor the energy security of Slovakia. It’s actually an effort save profits from gas transportationwhich are falling dramatically and, according to the current proposals, Slovakian industry and households have to pay for their replacement. Karol Galek, a member of the opposition SaS, announced this at a press conference in the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic on Thursday.
The prime minister’s rhetoric about Russian gas according to him, it is misleading. “The ban on Russian gas is to be applied only from January 1, 2028. We still have two years to prepare, and it is not true that we would not be able to cut ourselves off from Russian raw materials. In 2022, we were able to significantly increase gas supplies from non-Russian sources in four months, and we are still using this gas today,” Galek recalled.
According to him, Slovakia does not need Russian gas, because it is not cheap at all, Russian Gazprom does not fulfill its contractual obligations and does not even pay a euro for transit and at the same time its supplies are a security risk. “So Fico is not interested in cheap gas, but in profits from its transit,” declared the opposition MP.
Since Gazprom does not pay, gas carrier Eustream decided, according to Galek, “to extract this money’ from people and businesses by proposing to increase transportation rates. He pointed out that Slovak businesses are already drawing attention to negative consequences and loss of competitiveness. SaS therefore calls on the Office for the Regulation of Network Industries (ÚRSO) to resist political pressure and protect the public interest when deciding on this proposal.
Eustream has already commented on the criticism of the increase in fees for gas transportation. According to him, the consulted tariffs are designed in such a way that they are adequate they covered at least the basic functioning of the company and the operation of a strategically important network. In no case will they replace her original income. Eustream emphasized that even after adjusting the tariffs in the proposed amount, the company should achieve only a small net profit with the expected flows.
