MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. Slovakia and Hungary will challenge the European Union’s decision to prohibit Russian gas imports in court, Slovakian Deputy Parliament Speaker Tibor Gaspar told TASS in an interview.

"The European Union has officially approved the phased-out ban on Russian natural gas imports by 2027 (liquefied natural gas imports [are allowed] until 2026, and pipeline gas - until September-November 2027)," he said. "Slovakia and Hungary resolutely opposed this decision and voted against it at the level of the Council of the EU," he said. "Both countries plan to file lawsuits to the Court of Justice of the European Union, because, in the opinion of their governments, this decision violates the basic principles of the EU, in particular, the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. The energy sector still remains within the competence of national governments."

Gaspar went on to say that although Slovakia and Hungary will file two separate lawsuits, they will coordinate their actions.

He recalled Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico’s words, who described the EU ban as "energy suicide." The decision was made by a qualified majority, and failed to take into account the stance of Bratislava and Budapest, the senior lawmaker added.

"In practice, it means that Slovakia is no longer going to passively accept the new EU rules. The government will challenge the decision <…> jointly with Hungary," he continued. "Contacts with the Russian Federation on the subject are being carried out within the framework of the European legal context, not in the format of bilateral talks with Russia."