Ministers debate ending Russian gas imports; Hungary and Slovakia oppose

Luxembourg/Brussels, June 16 (CTK) - The European Commission is seeking to ensure that the plan to end all imports of Russian fossil fuels into the EU does not cause any member state problems with security of supply. European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen said this in Luxembourg today. Hungary and Slovakia had previously indicated that they would oppose the plan to end imports of fuels from Russia.

"Today we are sending Russia a very clear signal that says: We will no longer allow you to weaponize energy against us, we will no longer allow you to blackmail our member states, and we will no longer indirectly help finance Putin's war," the European commissioner said, adding that he had already discussed the issue with many ministers.

"It is clear that we want to do this in a way that does not cause any member state problems with security of supply. We also want to keep prices as low as possible," Jørgensen added.

At today's meeting in Luxembourg, the energy ministers of the 27 member states are due to discuss the plan published by the Commission on May 6. It includes nine specific measures for a coordinated and gradual phase-out of Russian energy supplies. These include a proposal by the European Union to ban new contracts with Russian gas suppliers, with existing spot contracts to be terminated by the end of the year. According to the Commission, these measures will ensure that the remaining supplies of Russian gas to the EU are reduced by one third by the end of this year. The EU executive will also propose ending all remaining imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027.

Hungarian Foreign Minister and Minister of Trade Péter Szijjártó, who is representing the country at today's meeting, wrote on social media platform X this morning that he expected a "brutal debate" over Ursula von der Leyen's plan to ban imports of Russian gas, oil and nuclear fuel. He said the move would jeopardize Hungary's energy security and further harm the European economy. "We will not allow that," he added.

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár also said last week that adopting the plan known as REPowerEU would have catastrophic consequences not only for Slovakia, but also for the competitiveness of the entire EU. If the plan were adopted, Slovakia could face losses of billions of euros from potential arbitrations alone, he said, because the country is contractually committed to importing Russian gas until 2034. In addition, the plan would be adopted by a qualified majority, rather than by consensus among all member states.

"They will simply outvote us by qualified majority and we will not be able to do anything at all. That is why our position is clear: we are ready to negotiate and we want them to hear us," Blanár said last Thursday, adding that Bratislava wants to postpone the decision on the 18th sanctions package against Russia until a decision is made on REPowerEU.