Slovakia will challenge the European Union’s decision to end imports of Russian natural gas by 2027, Prime Minister Robert Fico said, aligning Bratislava with neighboring Hungary’s plan to sue over the measure.
The legal move deepens a rift inside the bloc over how quickly to sever energy ties with Moscow more than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Both Slovakia and Hungary are landlocked central European countries that have maintained close links to the Kremlin and remain heavily reliant on Russian fossil fuels.
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EU member states recently agreed to ban all Russian gas imports before the end of 2027 using a mechanism that required only a qualified majority, sidestepping vetoes from Bratislava and Budapest. The two capitals previously leveraged their veto powers to secure exemptions from EU energy sanctions imposed on Russia after the invasion.
Fico said Slovakia will coordinate its legal strategy with Hungary, though the countries cannot file a joint lawsuit. He did not specify the timetable or legal venue for the filing.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday reiterated his intention to sue over the gas ban, casting it as a threat to his government’s policy of capping household energy bills. In a Facebook post, he warned the ban endangers “utility price reduction” and declared, “There can be no compromise on this.”
Budapest has indicated its challenge will argue the decision amounts to a sanction that should require unanimous approval by EU member states, not a qualified majority. Hungary and Slovakia have both argued in recent years for greater flexibility as the bloc reengineers its energy system away from Russian supply.
The coordinated legal action underscores the political and economic stakes of the EU’s pivot on energy security. By moving under qualified-majority rules, a large group of member states committed to ending Russian gas purchases before 2028 despite objections from two of the bloc’s most Moscow-friendly governments.
While the EU’s broader post-invasion energy strategy has sought to slash dependence on Russian fuels and diversify supplies, Slovakia and Hungary have repeatedly pressed for carve-outs, citing domestic price pressures and infrastructure constraints.
The lawsuits, once filed, are likely to test how far EU decision-making on energy can proceed without unanimous backing—and how the bloc balances collective security priorities with national cost-of-living concerns.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
