
Fico: Gas prices will be helped by deliveries from the East, the European Commission knows it too

Bratislava – If we want to reduce the pressure on gas prices, which are significantly more expensive in Europe than elsewhere, the flow of this commodity must also be restored from east to west. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Russian gas, Slovakia can buy it even before it enters Ukrainian territory. Although diversification of gas sources is important, without supplies from the east, the European Union will not be competitive, reiterated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Sunday in the Politika 24 program on Joj 24 television, reported TASR.
Fico clarified that the European Commission (EC) is also aware of this fact. The Prime Minister is due to discuss this topic on Monday (Feb. 3) with representatives of the EU executive in Brussels.
“My duty as Prime Minister is to do everything to ensure that gas flows from east to west as well, so that we are once again the pipeline that will import gas to other countries,” Fico emphasized, expressing concern about the upcoming winter under the current situation. Slovakia is currently drawing gas from storage facilities, and a smaller volume flows from the south through Hungary via the Turkstream pipeline.
Regarding this, Fico mentioned that “on the table” is a new project to expand Turkstream’s capacity, primarily on Serbian and Hungarian territory. This would be an investment of 800 to 900 million euros. This will also be a topic of discussion with EC representatives. “The plan is very realistic, and in my opinion, 800 million euros is worth investing together with several countries to enable the continued transit of gas, not just western gas,” assessed the Prime Minister.
According to his own words, he would be very glad if part of any peace agreements between Ukraine and Russia would ensure that gas continues to flow across Ukrainian territory. He called it important not only for Slovakia, which profits from such gas transit, but also for the competitiveness of the entire EU.
“I believe that all these difficult times will pass, that the war will end very quickly, and that Germany and other countries will realize that there must be diversification here. Fine, let the gas come from all directions. We have interconnectors with Poland, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, and of course from the east. But without gas from east to west, Europe will never be competitive,” underscored Fico. (February 2)
“Fine, let the gas come from all directions. We have interconnectors with Poland, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, and of course from the east. But without gas from east to west, Europe will never be competitive.” Robert Fico