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Germany warns EU electricity tax plan threatens national sovereignty

Germany accuses the European Commission of using an electricity market law to sidestep EU tax rules and national sovereignty. The dispute could affect the pace of the bloc’s electrification drive and efforts to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels.

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/08/17/germany-warns-eu-electricity-tax-plan-threatens-national-sovereignty

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00:00Germany is pushing back against the European Commission plan to tax electricity at a lower
00:05rate than natural gas, arguing Brussels is using electricity market legislation to impose
00:10rules that belong under EU tax law.
00:13Berlin said the proposal would bypass the unanimity normally required for EU tax measures
00:17and interfere with national tax and budgetary sovereignty.
00:22The dispute comes as Brussels pushes to accelerate electrification and reduce reliance on imported
00:28fossil fuels.
00:28The EU recently set a 46% electrification target for 2040.
00:34Beyond the legal dispute, electricity remains significantly more expensive than gas across
00:39the EU, often costing three to five times more, making it harder for households and businesses
00:45to switch to clean technologies.
00:47Germany said it supported electrification but opposed using electricity market rules to achieve
00:52changes in taxation.
00:54Brussels argues that a lower electricity tax could help close the price gap.
00:58The European Parliament and Council are due to begin negotiations on the proposal after
01:02the summer break under the Irish EU presidency.
01:06Hello.
01:07min
01:08Sheriff Ian
01:08The European Parliament and the European Parliament are due to Apr.
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