On 20 March 2024, an informative seminar was held on the current situation of the hydrocarbon sector in Spanish cooperatives.
The event was organised by the Chair for Agri-food Cooperatives and sponsored by AgroBank.
The regulatory changes following the publication of Royal Decree 8/2023 on 28 December 2023 and its imminent effective date on 28 March, and the confusion caused among cooperatives with retail fuel services, prompted the Working Group of Agri-food Cooperatives of Spain to organise this conference, as highlighted by its head, Pepe Cala. Additionally, other important major issues were discussed, such as low-cost petrol stations and the future of charging stations and the installation of charging points.
In an attempt to dispel any doubts and provide legal certainty, Natalia Hidalgo, head of NH Asesores, lawyer and expert in hydrocarbon taxes, gave a lecture at the conference to more than 150 attendees. She explained the contents of article 47 of Royal Decree 8/2023, the amendments made to its articles, particularly to article 43.1 of the Hydrocarbon Supply Law (LSH), which directly affects cooperatives as retail distributors, as well as the amendments presented by the parliamentary groups. She also discussed how these changes may affect cooperatives, once RD Law 8/2023 comes into force, and how to act in the future.
For the last section of the conference, the lawyer provided a general overview of the current situation of low-cost service stations and what will become to them once the aforementioned article 47 of RD Law 8/2023 comes into force, as they may be greatly reduced. She also analysed the future of charging points and who is obliged to install them.
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