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NIS ownership and oil transport negotiations

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What changed

2026-08-28 13:06 UTC → 2026-08-28 18:39 UTC · added removed

Negotiations regarding the sale of a majority stake in Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) from Russia’s Gazprom Neft to the Hungarian company MOL have progressed, with the Serbian government stating it is not an obstacle to the talks. Discussions have reportedly involved compromises on issues such as oil royalty rates, which were settled at 9 percent. Additionally, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has expressed interest in becoming a minority shareholder following a potential acquisition by MOL. However, the situation has entered a period of uncertainty due to the expiration of critical U.S. licenses on August 28. These licenses include To address this, the authorization United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has extended the operating license for MOL NIS until September 30. This extension is intended to continue negotiations and ensure the special license required by continued functioning of the Croatian pipeline operator JANAF to transport Pančevo oil for refinery and provide necessary time to finalize ownership negotiations. Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović stated that the sanctioned NIS. As extension is “vital for national energy security,” noting that the regulatory status Pančevo refinery increased processing to approximately 13,000 tons of the MOL-Gazprom Neft deal remains subject oil per day in August to further clearances, meet diesel demand. Negotiations are reportedly in their final stages. Recent developments include a shareholder agreement in which the Serbian government will acquire an additional 5 percent stake in NIS. While Serbian businessman Ranko Mimović has previously expressed interest in acquiring the majority stake. Mimović claims to have secured two billion euros for a potential purchase and has applied to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for stake through a special license to facilitate application, current focus remains on the acquisition. deal between Gazprom Neft and MOL.

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  1. 2026-08-28 18:39 UTC NIS ownership and oil transport negotiations
  2. 2026-08-28 13:06 UTC NIS ownership and oil transport negotiations

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