Hungary will initiate legal proceedings before the European Court of Justice to challenge the REPowerEU regulation, which aims to phase out Russian energy imports—and, it’s alleged, was adopted fraudulently.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced the move on Monday, January 26th in Thessaloniki, warning that the measure runs directly counter to Hungary’s national interests.
According to Szijjártó, banning the purchase of Russian crude oil and natural gas would have severe economic consequences for Hungary:
If we are unable to purchase crude oil and natural gas from Russia, that would mean that household energy bills could triple, and factories could also be put in a difficult position due to rising prices.
“This is therefore a major legal fraud and is contrary to Hungary’s national interests,” he added.
Szijjártó argued that the regulation violates the European Union’s own legal framework. Under the EU treaties, decisions on a country’s energy mix fall under national competence, he said. In a post on X, the minister accused Brussels of using a “legal trick, presenting a sanctions measure as a trade policy decision in order to avoid unanimity.”
“Hungary will take legal action before the Court of Justice of the EU as soon as the decision on REPowerEU is officially published,” Szijjártó wrote, stressing that all legal means would be used to seek its annulment.
The legal challenge comes after the EU approved legislation setting a binding deadline to ban Russian gas from the EU market by 2027. The regulation passed by a large majority despite opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, both of which have indicated they are prepared to contest the law in court.
Prior to the war in Ukraine, Russia supplied more than 40% of the EU’s gas.
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