Hungary has asked the European Union’s executive to open a legal procedure against Bulgaria over a tax it recently imposed on Russian natural gas passing through its territory. Bulgaria believes the tax, which it levied in October, will reduce the privileged position of Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom in southeastern Europe and deter Russian influence in the region. But the tax has angered Bulgaria’s neighbor Serbia, as well as fellow EU member Hungary, which are heavily dependent on Russian gas coming mostly via Turkey and Bulgaria through the TurkStream pipeline. A Hungarian minister said Friday that he had asked the European Commission to launch an infringement procedure against Bulgaria, adding that the tax endangers the energy security of Hungary and the entire region.
