Síkela: Czechia appreciates Germany's decision to abolish gas transit fee

Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela welcomed Germany's decision to abolish the gas transit fee. He said the decision would help strengthen Central Europe's energy security. Before today's meeting in Brussels, Síkela said that Czechia was calling for the disputed fee to be abolished entirely. German State Secretary Sven Giegold subsequently announced that the German government had agreed to abolish the fee. Since this requires a change in the law, the earliest possible date for abolishing the fee is the beginning of 2025, he said.

„This once again confirms that cooperation at EU level, including in the energy sector, strengthens all member states. I welcome the German government's declared decision to scrap from next year a fee that favoured gas imports from the east at the expense of gas from our western allies,“ Síkela said on social media platform X.

„I am convinced that Germany's response to our initiative will help strengthen Central Europe's energy security. It is also clear confirmation that proactive and constructive policymaking at European level is the most effective way to achieve our goals,“ he added.

Germany introduced the fee, which is intended to cover the costs of storing gas in storage facilities, during the recent energy crisis linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Trading Hub Europe GmbH (THE), the operator of the German gas market, announced last week that the fee would rise by more than a third from July, to 2.50 euros (roughly 62 Kč) per megawatt-hour (MWh), from the current 1.86 euros.

Before today's meeting, Minister Síkela also said that it was necessary to consider what to do with the money Prague had already paid in fees. He added that he personally always prefers agreements to court cases. It is not yet clear whether he also received a response from Berlin on this issue.

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