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Central and Eastern European fuel industry joins forces to revise EU green rules
Fuel industry organisations from six Central and Eastern European EU countries are joining forces to push Brussels to delay and revise a series of climate and renewable energy rules, warning that their implementation in the current form could drive up fuel prices and put further pressure on regional competitiveness.
Representatives from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Poland, Czechia and Slovakia signed a joint declaration in Sofia on Thursday calling on the EU institutions to postpone or adapt rules covering greenhouse gas emissions and the use of renewable energy in transport. The industry groups estimate that the measures could increase fuel prices by between €0.20 and €1.40 per litre in the worst-case scenario as early as 2028.
The initiative, led by the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association (BPGA), brings together the Czech Association of Petroleum Industry and Trade (CAPPO), the Polish Organisation of Oil Industry and Trade (POPiHN), the Romanian Federation of Energy and Petroleum Employers (FPE), the Slovak Association of Petroleum and Gas Industry (SAPPO) and the Greek Association of Petroleum Companies.
The six countries are now seeking political backing from their governments. Their energy ministers are expected to sign an informal document on 28 October addressed to the European Commission, European Council and European Parliament, calling for a two-year postponement of the environmental requirements.
The additional time, according to the initiative’s backers, should be used to reassess the targets against the availability of technologies and the ability of households and businesses to absorb the costs of the green transition.
The Sofia meeting marks the creation of an informal Central and Eastern European energy alliance aimed at giving the region a stronger voice in EU energy and climate policy.
“We decided that our voice needs to be heard more strongly in Europe, and gradually this initiative emerged – a form of cooperation that we called the Central and Eastern European Energy Alliance,” said Svetoslav Benchev of the BPGA.
The alliance’s next meeting is scheduled to take place in Romania in April next year. The six energy ministers are meanwhile expected to make their joint case in Brussels on 28 October, seeking a two-year delay before the new environmental requirements take full effect.
ETS2 at the centre of the dispute
One of the main concerns is the EU’s new emissions trading system, ETS2, which is due to cover road transport and buildings from 2028. Under the system, fuel suppliers will have to purchase emissions allowances corresponding to the carbon released by fuels placed on the market
The Bulgarian Petrol Association estimates that one tonne of diesel would carry the cost of three tonnes of emissions. At an allowance price of €45 per tonne, this would add around €0.20 per litre to the final fuel price, according to an analysis presented at the Sofia conference.
The study by the University of National and World Economy (UNWE) in Sofia estimates that allowance prices could rise to €70 per tonne by 2028 under current conditions, while more stringent scenarios could push them to €280 or even €501.
The UNWE analysis estimates that the resulting increase in fuel prices could range from 16% in the least severe scenario to 111% in the most severe one. The impact would not stop at the pump. Higher fuel costs would feed into transport prices and then into the wider economy, with the study estimating an increase in consumer prices of between 1% and 7.5%.
Industry challenges wider green rules
The six-country alliance is also targeting several other EU measures. These include the Renewable Energy Directive, which sets a 14% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for transport and requires renewable energy to account for at least 29% of transport energy use.
Industry representatives argue that these targets are difficult to meet in countries such as Bulgaria, where only around 7-8% of transport is currently considered green.
The aviation sector is also facing new requirements under the ReFuelEU Aviation rules, including a minimum share of sustainable aviation fuel. The required share starts at 2% and is due to rise to 6% by 2030.
The declaration also calls for a reassessment of the EU’s 2030 transport electrification targets, recognition of biofuels and recycled carbon fuels as important tools for decarbonising the existing vehicle fleet, and a more proportionate implementation of the Net-Zero Industry Act.
The signatories are also seeking a review of ReFuelEU Aviation and a realistic implementation of EU methane emissions rules. The alliance says it supports the EU’s climate-neutrality objective but argues that the transition must take account of technological readiness, economic conditions and the capacity of consumers to pay.
“We support the green transition and all green policies, but they must be implemented in a way that does not further undermine Europe’s competitiveness,” Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Alexander Pulev said at the Sofia meeting.
Caption: A photo from the meeting in Sofia of fuel industry groups from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Poland, Czechia and Slovakia, 8 October 2026, BTA.
