BUDAPEST – Hungary and Slovakia will appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union next week over a possible ban on imports of Russian oil and natural gas, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has announced.
„Brussels wants to put a resolution to a vote next week on banning imports of Russian oil and natural gas to Europe. This dictate will make it impossible to ensure reliable energy supplies for our country and for Slovakia and will cause a dramatic rise in prices.“ he wrote on his Facebook account.
„Moreover, this is a major legal fraud, because in reality it is a punitive measure that can only be adopted unanimously.“ He went on to add that the European Commission's intention to push through this decision not by consensus but by majority vote, „completely contradicts the fundamental Treaty on European Union“, which, among other things, stipulates that energy policy is a national competence of individual states.
„Therefore, immediately after this decision is adopted, we will file a lawsuit with the Court of Justice of the European Union together with the Slovak government, requesting that this regulation be repealed and its effectiveness suspended for the duration of the court proceedings.“ He added.
On 20 October, the Council of the European Union approved a gradual ban on all purchases of Russian gas, effective from 1 January 2028. The decision applies to both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas. The European Commission's plan also includes a ban on Russian oil supplies from 2028. A ban on nuclear fuel is still under discussion.
The Hungarian government has already expressed its intention to seek exemptions from these rules. However, it has not yet received any specific proposals from European Union representatives.
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