The Digester
finance

Spain and four EU partners ask Brussels for coordinated windfall tax on energy firms

Five EU governments have asked the European Commission to study a temporary, coordinated tax on extraordinary profits of energy companies to help shield consumers from oil price rises linked to the Iran war.

Apr 4th 2026 · Spain

Insights

  • Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria and Portugal sent a letter on April 3 to Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra requesting a coordinated EU measure.
  • They ask the Commission to study a temporary solidarity instrument requiring energy companies to contribute extraordinary wartime profits to ease consumer and taxpayer burdens.
  • The proposal cites the 2022 EU temporary solidarity contribution used to address inflation after Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a precedent.
  • The plan includes analysing a levy on profits that multinational oil companies earn abroad.
  • Spanish deputy prime minister and economy minister Carlos Cuerpo shared the letter publicly.

Sources