Some of the gas suppliers from the Republic of Moldova will be forced to open offices in Romania or to provide financial guarantees of approximately one million euros in order to gain access to the gas transport networks of the European Union. The new European rules on gas transport, which come into effect on August 5, will impose additional conditions on companies from non-EU countries that want to use the transport networks in Romania or other European states, reports IPN.

The head of the Natural Gas Trading Department at Energocom, Sergiu Lica, told ICIS publication that the new rules could create difficulties for several Moldovan suppliers, as companies outside the EU must meet strict conditions to be able to operate in the European markets.

Of the 31 licensed gas suppliers, approximately 21 do not have a legal presence in EU countries. According to Sergiu Lica, for these companies, financial guarantees could mean total costs of about 21 million euros. He further warns that the new requirements could particularly affect smaller suppliers, who might struggle to bear these expenses, and this could reduce competition in the gas market.

As future member states, Moldova and Ukraine will no longer have these problems in the future, but until accession, Energocom proposes several transitional solutions. The first would be for a company authorized in one country to be able to purchase and transport gas through several states without opening offices and without additional guarantees. The second is related to the exemption from VAT for non-resident companies. However, this requires a fiscal protocol between EU member countries and those of the Energy Community.

According to public data, last year, the Ungheni-Iasi interconnection point was the main gas import route for the Republic of Moldova, through which 81.1% of the imported quantities were brought.