Hungary and Slovakia did not support the conclusions of the EU Council, which called for further implementation of the plan to completely stop importing Russian gas and oil by 2027. At the same time, 25 member states supported the rejection of Russian energy carriers, so the future decision, given the broad support, will be able to pass a vote in the EU Council, as it requires a qualified majority vote, rather than the full support of all member states.
Hungary’s position was outlined by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó in a post on Platform X.
“We vetoed the Council conclusions calling on the European Commission to push ahead with a plan to ban Russian gas and oil. Energy policy is a national competence. This plan threatens our sovereignty and energy security. Given the escalation in the Middle East, we have proposed not to bring it up for discussion at all,” Szijjártó said.
Despite Budapest’s resistance, 25 member states supported the draft conclusions prepared under the Polish presidency. The document states the need to strengthen the EU’s energy security, fully finalise the Energy Union and reduce strategic dependence on third countries – particularly in the energy sector.
Danish Climate and Energy Minister Lars Aagoor assured that Denmark, which takes over the EU presidency from 1 July, will continue to work to shift away from Russian energy.
“For us, this is not just an energy package – we call it the Freedom Package for Europe. Reducing dependence on Russian fossil resources is vital for Europe’s security, sustainability and sovereignty,” the Danish minister said and pledged to work with member states that have reservations about the Russian energy divestment plan.
Polish Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Gennig-Kloska emphasised that one of the key priorities of European energy policy should be diversification of supply, investment in infrastructure and renewable energy, and the completion of the single energy market.
The conclusions also specifically mention Ukraine: the EU plans to continue financial and structural support to strengthen the sustainability of its energy system and promote harmonisation with European legislation.
On 6 May, the European Commission presented a new roadmap under the REPowerEU initiative, which contains nine key measures to permanently end energy imports from Russia. These include energy efficiency improvements, large-scale decarbonisation and infrastructure expansion.
This is not the first time that Hungary and Slovakia have opposed initiatives to isolate Russia from energy, considering them contrary to national interests.