Middle East Conflict Complicates EU Energy Windfall Tax Push

An EU-wide windfall tax on fossil fuel companies, similar to the 2022 response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, would be difficult to replicate for the conflict in the Middle East, a senior European Commission official said Thursday.

The effects of the current energy crisis in Europe aren’t the same as those experienced during the Ukraine war, which prompted extra taxation of energy companies, Benjamin Angel, director of direct taxation for the European Commission, said at the 2026 CFE Forum in Brussels.

“First, price levels are much lower than what they were in 2022. Second, in 2022, we knew ...