BUDAPEST: Hungary has filed a lawsuit in the European Court of Justice against the EU's ban on energy supplies from Russia, Hungarian ...
BUDAPEST: Hungary has filed a lawsuit in the European Court of Justice against the EU's ban on energy supplies from Russia, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said.
TASS has collected the key facts about the agreement.
Lawsuit in the EU Court
- Hungary has filed a lawsuit in the European Court of Justice against the ban on energy supplies from Russia, Szijjarto said.
- The decision by the Council of the EU to ban Russian gas has come into force, he noted, adding that the Hungarian government, as planned, immediately filed a lawsuit with the EU Court of Justice demanding its annulment.
- The minister explained that the Council of the EU had no right to adopt such a decision by majority vote, rather than by consensus, since it was sanction-based.
- Being aware of Hungary and Slovakia's objections, the European Commission "disguised this measure as trade policy."
- The Council of the EU has no authority to introduce such measures as the EU's founding documents clearly state that each state can independently determine its energy policy, choosing its suppliers and sources of energy.
- There is a rule called the energy solidarity principle in the European Union. In practice, this means that energy supplies to EU countries must be secure.
- Brussels' decision clearly violates this rule, at least in the case of Hungary.
European Commission’s position
- The European Commission (EC) will use the court to defend the ban on EU member states purchasing gas from Russia if Hungary and Slovakia file corresponding lawsuits, EC representative Anna-Kaisa Itkonen told a briefing in Brussels.
- That said, she noted that Hungary and Slovakia have every right to challenge this norm.
On the ban
- On January 26, the Council of the EU finally approved a complete ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to the EU from January 1, 2027, and pipeline gas from September 30, 2027.
- Violations of this ban will be subject to significant fines.
- Similar plans are being developed in Brussels for Russian oil and nuclear fuel.
Russia’s reaction
- EU officials overstepped the interests of Hungary and Slovakia by banning these countries from supplying Russian gas, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
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