Gas price in Balkans cheaper than Europe

SARAJEVO - Anatolia News Agency

Prices of natural gas, a strategic commodity both for home and industrial use, in Balkans region vary greatly. Romanians pay 0.28 euro per cubic meter of gas. Hürriyet photo

The natural gas prices in Balkan countries, including Turkey, is cheaper that the European average with even Bosnians, consumers of the most expensive gas in the region, pay less than EU’s 0.64 euros per cubic meter.

The cheapest natural gas available for residences within Balkan countries is found in Romania, according to Eurostat data gathered by the Anatolia news agency yesterday.

The price of natural gas in Bosnia-Herzegovina is 40 percent higher than that of its neighbors Croatia and Serbia, all of which are former Yugoslavian states.

The price of one cubic meter of natural gas used in residences is 0.54 euro in Bosnia, while the price is 0.37 euro in Croatia and 0.39 euro in Serbia, according to Nov. 2011 data from the Eurostat.

Macedonia sells natural gas to residences at 0.49 euro per cubic meter. Romanian citizens purchase one cubic meter of natural gas for 0.28 euro. The figure is 0.49 euro in Bulgaria and 0.79 euro in Slovenia. The average price is 0.64 euro in the European Union.

Gas sold to the organized industrial zones in Turkey is 0.36 euros according to Eurostat’s data. The Istanbul Gas Distribution Industry and Trade (İGDAŞ) sells one cubic meter of natural gas for 0.98 Turkish Lira (about 0.44 euro) including tax. The figure is 0.83 lira excluding tax.