MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2023) Hungary has achieved an exemption and will be able to export about 30% of oil products from the Slovak refinery of petroleum company MOL after February 5 to Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland, MOL said on Monday.
The company noted that after February 5, when sanctions on Russian oil products come into force, MOL will be able to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fuel to the domestic market from its refinery in Szazhalombatta, Hungary, since it has the right to process Russian oil coming through the Druzhba pipeline, the corresponding exception was received during the discussion of previous sanctions packages.
"The capacities of the refinery of the MOL subsidiary � Slovnaft � in Bratislava are needed not by Hungarian, but by Czech and Austrian consumers," the company said in a statement published by the Világgazdaság newspaper.
"Exports to Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland became possible after the Hungarian government, together with the governments of several other countries, successfully lobbied for the companies, refiners of Russian oil, could continue to export products depending on the share of Russian oil," it said.
The company noted that in the coming days, a corresponding decree of the Slovak government is expected. The Hungarian government has already regulated the scheme for the export of petroleum products.
"The Bratislava refinery is allowed to export fuel in proportion to the inclusion of non-Russian crude oil and refinery feedstock. Current refining technologies and logistical restrictions can ensure that the share of non-Russian oil is around 30%. It follows that Slovnaft can plan fuel exports in 2023 in an appropriate proportion," the statement says.
Earlier, the EU introduced the eighth package of anti-Russian sanctions, which includes both new economic restrictions and expanded lists of personal sanctions. Among the economic sanctions is the introduction of a legislative framework for determining the price cap for seaborne Russian oil to third countries. It was planned that the price limit would be introduced on December 5 for oil and on February 5, 2023, for oil products.
