Brussels/Bratislava – Juraj Blanár, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic from Smer-SD, met with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in Brussels during the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting. They discussed the European Commission’s REPowerEU proposal, which aims to decrease the EU’s reliance on Russian energy resources. This was reported on Thursday by the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs communication department.
The RePowerEU initiative plans to implement a legally binding and gradual prohibition on the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas from Russia to Europe by no later than autumn 2027.
Juraj Blanár characterized the meeting with Péter Szijjártó as “especially significant,” highlighting their discussion on coordinating efforts to approach the Court of Justice of the European Union to protect national interests regarding the Russian gas import ban.
“The European Commission’s regulation under REPowerEU is detrimental and will negatively impact not just Slovakia and Hungary, but also the EU’s competitiveness,” stated Blanár, stressing that access to affordable gas in adequate quantities is essential for the national economy.
“We aim to safeguard the household budgets of our citizens, which is why we are committed to utilizing every opportunity to challenge such adverse initiatives, including at the EU Court of Justice,” Blanár remarked.
He informed his Hungarian counterpart about the Slovak government’s current stance and they agreed on maintaining communication with the Slovak Ministry of Justice, which will represent Slovakia in this matter. (4 December)
“The European Commission’s regulation under REPowerEU is detrimental. It will negatively impact not just Slovakia and Hungary, but also the EU’s competitiveness.” Juraj Blanár
Leave a Reply