Κυριακή 23 Αυγούστου 2026
5 άρθρα
Six states push refinery windfall tax
Germany and five EU partners want oil companies taxed when refining margins outrun crude prices, reviving the bloc’s 2022 windfall levy model. Evidence of inflated margins strengthens their case, but the proposal remains only a request for talks: the Commission has drafted no law, all 27 governments must agree, and any levy could still be passed through to drivers.
Greece rewrites the Cyprus cable’s returns
A new financing formula could bring the 1,208 km interconnector closer to bank loans by allowing ADMIE to recover a higher return through electricity bills. Responses are due by 11 September, but bankability is only half the problem: Cyprus recognises just €82m of €251m in claimed spending and has withheld its first €25m payment.
Romania Blasts the Danube for Nuclear Power
Both Cernavodă reactors are offline, removing 1.4 GW of steady power as drought starves their cooling intake. Romania is dredging the riverbed and releasing reservoir water to restore flow, while costly imports and a restarted coal unit fill the gap. Similar nuclear cuts in Hungary and France are tightening electricity markets across the region.
Italy Turns Asylum Deadlines Against Germany
Rome is rejecting German asylum transfers as a dispute over the EU’s new rules becomes a test of whether responsibility can be enforced. Italy has accepted just three people from roughly 50 requests since 12 June, exploiting procedural delays that can ultimately leave Germany responsible for claims it sought to return.
Hungary signs €1.2bn, grid work still waits
Five contracts unlock the administrative path for grid upgrades and smart meters, with MFB directing funds to MAVIR, E.ON and MVM. EU transparency rules excluded politically connected OPUS TITÁSZ, but Brussels has yet to approve disbursement—and with the August 31 compliance deadline approaching, no new cable or meter has reached the ground.