Refiner MOL files a complaint with the EU regarding fees for the Croatian pipeline.

Hungarian refiner MOL announced on Friday that it and its subsidiary Slovnaft have lodged a complaint with the European Commission regarding the pricing policy of Croatian pipeline operator JANAF. This follows a previous complaint from MOL to the EU's competition authority concerning JANAF's refusal to deliver Russian crude oil to MOL and its Slovak subsidiary. Since January, an outage on the Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil through Ukraine, has forced Hungary and Slovakia to depend on oil supplies from JANAF.

MOL's latest complaint states that "JANAF has consistently applied abusive pricing practices," noting that the volume of their orders has increased by 50% while JANAF's fees have nearly doubled. The company argued that "the fee increases imposed by JANAF are excessive compared to its costs and cannot be objectively justified." JANAF did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Hungary and Slovakia have exemptions from EU restrictions on Russian oil imports. MOL is permitted to procure Russian seaborne crude if the Druzhba pipeline is not operational, according to the company. Croatia has shown a willingness to assist with crude supply but has hesitated to send Russian crude via JANAF's pipeline.