Budapest prepares legal battle against EU’s Russian gas decoupling directive Slovakia considers similar move

Hungary will challenge the European Commission's plans to decouple from Russian gas by the end of 2027 at the European Court of Justice.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced the government's plans during a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels on December 3, Caliber.Az reports citing Euronews.

He described the EU's new political agreement on the phase-out as an "imposition" that could endanger Hungary's energy security and lead to a drastic price hike.

"The acceptance and implementation of this Brussels 'diktat' is impossible for Hungary," Szijjarto stressed during a press conference. "This Brussels 'diktat' undermines Hungary's energy security, because without Russian energy it is physically impossible to supply Hungary safely with oil and natural gas."

Hungary is one of the few EU members to import a large quantity of Russian pipeline oil and gas, and managed to secure a vital exemption from US sanctions hitting Russian oil giants like Lukoil last month.

The minister's harsh response refers to an agreement the EU penned overnight about the so-called RepowerEU plan. The directive will be binding for member states, and Hungary will not be able to veto it.

He called the legal framework, which foresees the approval of this law with a qualified majority rather than unanimity, equivalent to fraud.

"As soon as this diktat is voted on in its final form in Brussels, we will immediately challenge it in the European Court of Justice," the minister reassured, claiming his government has already begun the necessary legal work.

The Hungarian minister further revealed that Slovakia was also considering legal action against the RepowerEU plans.

By Nazrin Sadigova