BUDAPEST, December 10. /TASS/. Approving a plan to phase out Russian energy resources (RePowerEU) without a unanimous decision by European Union countries is impossible, Head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyas has said.
"Gulyas criticized the EU's RePowerEU plan, which seeks to phase out Russian energy imports. He argued that such a decision would require unanimous consent under EU rules and warned that if implemented, Hungary would also take this issue to court," Zoltan Kovacs, Hungarian secretary of state for public diplomacy and relations, wrote on the X social media platform.
Gulyas emphasized that Russian energy resources are "vital to protect Hungary's utility price cuts and overall energy security" and for the country’s overall energy security.
On October 20, the EU Council approved a phased ban on all purchases of Russian gas, effective January 1, 2028. The decision applies to both pipeline and liquefied natural gas. The European Commission’s plan also includes a ban on Russian oil supplies, effective 2028. A ban on nuclear fuel is under discussion. The Hungarian government has expressed its intention to seek exemptions from those rules. However, no proposals on the matter have yet been received from EU leaders.
Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that Hungary and Slovakia will challenge the potential ban on imports of Russian oil and gas with the EU Court of Justice next week.