In an interview for today’s edition of the Vecernje Novosti daily, Ilic said he expects to reach an agreement with Russia tomorrow on tariff concessions of between 15–20%, and added that for the time being, Russia has a similar agreement only with Belarus.
The Minister recalled that currently, Russian export duties per barrel are around $250, which accounts for 30% of the price.
Tariff concessions are the result of the
Agreement on Energy Cooperation which I signed in January on behalf of the Serbian government, said Ilic and added that after the meeting with Russian colleagues Friday more details will be known as to the extent of tariff concessions.
We can count on these concessions to be implemented only when the energy agreement is ratified in parliament, explained Ilic and added that Serbia will also have the opportunity to reduce the price of its export products and thus become more competitive in the market.
Thanks to these concessions, we will be able to set aside more funds from the price of fuel for the road network, and cheaper energy sources in industry mean better salaries for employees, stressed Ilic.
According to him, the difference in the price of gas will also open the possibility to store gas which can be used for producing electric energy, which should in turn lead to an increase in the export of electric energy during periods when its price is the highest.