Possibility of excluding coking coal and coke oven production from Regulation COM(2022) 473 final, and exemption from payment of the temporary solidarity levy

Priority question for written answer  P-003105/2022
to the Commission
Rule 138
Jerzy Buzek (PPE)

On 14 September the Commission brought forward a regulation on an emergency intervention to address high energy prices (COM(2022) 473 final). The proposed measures aim to mitigate the impact of high energy prices and protect consumers.

One of the proposed measures is a temporary solidarity levy on excess profits in the oil, gas, coal and refineries sectors. The rules are also intended to cover coking coal, one of the critical raw materials of particular importance to the EU economy, whose production should be protected and supported in order to ensure stable access to it. The processing of this coal, i.e. coke oven production, is also to be subject to the levy.

In light of the above:

• 1.In the Commission’s view, what are the grounds for imposing an additional burden (a temporary solidarity levy) on the production of coking coal and the coking industry, which are, among other things, the basis of the EU steel industry?
• 2.In the Commission’s view, what is the correlation between the Russian war in Ukraine or the situation on the EU energy market and the prices of coking coal, which are set at global level by the Australian market?
• 3.Does the Commission not believe that including coking coal in the regulation contradicts the objectives of the Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials adopted on 3 September 2020? Does the Commission still see the possibility of excluding coking coal and coke oven production from Regulation COM(2022) 473 final?