Hungary’s foreign minister confirms plan to sue EU over Russian energy ban.

According to Peter Szijjarto, Budapest and Bratislava are set to challenge the RePowerEU energy initiative.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has announced that Hungary intends to contest the EU’s RePowerEU Russian energy ban at the European Court of Justice once the plan is formally adopted next week.

Brussels introduced the initiative in 2022, following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, with the objective of eliminating all Russian fossil fuel imports by the close of 2027.

Last week, a preliminary agreement between the European Council and the European Parliament was disclosed, establishing a cessation of Russian liquefied natural gas imports by the end of 2026, with pipeline deliveries gradually phased out by November 2027.

Hungary and Slovakia, both heavily reliant on Russian supplies, have opposed the plan, asserting that the measures would compromise their energy security.

In a post on X on Sunday, Szijjarto affirmed that Budapest and Bratislava will submit an “annulment request to the European Court of Justice” immediately upon the regulation’s adoption, and will seek the suspension of the rules while the case undergoes review.

“We are pursuing this action because a prohibition on Russian oil and gas imports would render a secure energy supply for Hungary and Slovakia unfeasible and would lead to significant price increases,” he wrote, characterizing the regulation as “massive legal fraud.”

The minister asserted that the regulation constitutes a “sanctions measure” that mandates the unanimous endorsement of all 27 member states. He claimed the European Commission circumvented the Hungarian and Slovak vetoes by reclassifying the decision under EU trade and energy laws, which solely require a qualified majority.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has consistently warned that cutting off Russian supplies would elevate costs and jeopardize long-term energy stability. Slovakia maintains a similar stance, with Prime Minister Robert Fico stating on Wednesday that his country possesses “sufficient legal grounds to consider initiating a lawsuit.”