Hungary on Wednesday vowed to challenge the EU’s decision to phase out imports of Russian oil and gas at the Court of Justice of the European Union, claiming it is impossible for the central European nation to halt energy imports from Russia.
“Accepting and implementing this ?Brussels order is impossible for Hungary,” Hungarian Peter Szijjarto said at a briefing, as carried by Reuters.
The EU on Wednesday agreed to permanently stop Russian gas imports and phase out Russian oil by 2027.
The agreement will involve a legally binding, gradual reduction in both LNG and pipeline gas imports from Russia, eventually resulting in a full ban on these exports, with the deadlines set for the end of 2026 for LNG and September 30, 2027 for pipeline gas.
“Today, we are stopping these imports permanently. By depleting Putin’s war chest, we stand in solidarity with Ukraine and set our sights on new energy partnerships and opportunities for the sector,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
The EU’s decision, however, was met with opposition from the central European member states Hungary and Slovakia at nearly every turn.
Both Hungary and Slovakia have kept ties with Russia, especially Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has met with Putin several times since Russia invaded Ukraine, including at last week’s talks at the Kremlin.
Set OilPrice.com as a preferred source in Google .
“Russian energy forms the basis of Hungary’s energy supply, now and in the future,” Orban said after his meeting with Putin.
Hungary and Slovakia are now considering joining forces to challenge the EU’s decision to phase out Russian energy imports within less than two years, Hungary’s Szijjarto said today.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister ?Robert Fico, for his part, said “We have sufficient legal grounds ?to consider filing a lawsuit. We agreed that we will soon present to what extent the European Commission has fulfilled the commitments it gave us.”
By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
- Kazakhstan Plans to Double Oil Refining Capacity by 2040
- Disney, Big Tech Take Up Energy Trading As Power Costs Soar
- Saudi Arabia Starts Natural Gas Production at Giant Jafurah Project
