Hungary and Slovakia reject the EU Commission's plan to phase out Russian gas by the end of 2027. This became clear the day after EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen presented the roadmap. In the long term, it will also mean goodbye to Russian oil and nuclear energy.
On Wednesday, Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico, stated, according to Reuters, that the idea of phasing out Russian gas and other energy imports "in this form is unacceptable" for the Slovak government.
- It is simply economic suicide to go to the point where gas, nuclear power or oil must cease, just because a new iron curtain is being built between the Western world and perhaps Russia and other countries, Fico said, according to Reuters.
According to Fico, Slovakia will work for changes when the EU Commission presents the specific legislative proposals in the roadmap next month. A similar message comes from Hungary's Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto.
- The EU Commission's politically motivated plan to ban Russian energy is a serious mistake. It threatens energy security, drives up prices and violates sovereignty.
- They want us to bear the costs of their reckless support for Ukraine and its hasty accession to the EU. We strongly reject this, writes the Hungarian Foreign Minister on the social media X.
Von der Leyen: Russia is not a credible energy supplier
The statements come on the day when the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, raised a warning finger towards EU countries that want to resume purchases of cheap Russian gas if a peace agreement is reached.
- We must make it very clear that the era in which Europe is dominated by Russian fossil fuels has now come to an end, von der Leyen said in the European Parliament on Wednesday.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, EU countries continued to buy Russian energy for almost 90 billion kroner a month. According to von der Leyen, that figure has now fallen to around 13 billion kroner per month.
Despite the large drop, EU countries have spent more money buying Russian energy during the war than supporting Ukraine, Dan Jørgensen highlighted on Tuesday when he presented the plan for phasing out Russian energy.
- Russia has proven time and again that the country is not a credible energy supplier. Putin has cut off supplies to Europe several times. This happened in 2006, 2009, 2014, 2021 and throughout the entire war in Ukraine. How many times will it take before we learn from it? Dependence on Russia is not only bad for our security, but also for our economy, said von der Leyen.
Does not require unanimity
The EU Commission is specifically proposing a ban on new short-term contracts for Russian gas by the end of 2025. This is to be followed by a ban on long-term contracts by the end of 2027. However, the roadmap must be adopted by qualified majority - not unanimity.
This means that Hungary and Slovakia will not be able to block the phasing out of Russian energy alone. If the two countries still choose to defy the new EU rules, the EU Commission can take action at the Court of Justice of the EU. Here, the two countries could be imposed financial sanctions until they comply with the rules.
/ritzau/
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