Hungary and Slovakia take EU to court over planned Russian gas and oil import ban

Hungary and Slovakia are preparing to challenge in the European Court a political agreement at EU level that paves the way for a complete ban on imports of Russian gas and oil into the European Union. The move was announced by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who said the two governments would seek both the annulment of the regulation and its suspension during legal proceedings, EUalive’s partner Suspilne reports.

According to Szijjártó, Budapest and Bratislava will act as soon as the REPowerEU regulation is formally adopted next week. The EU’s roadmap aims to eliminate energy dependence on Russia by 2027 through a phased withdrawal from both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), alongside a gradual exit from Russian oil.

“We are taking this step because a ban on the import of Russian oil and gas will make it impossible to secure energy supplies to Hungary and Slovakia and will lead to a sharp increase in prices,” Szijjártó said. He accused the European Commission of pushing through what he described as a “massive legal fraud”, insisting that the regulation is in fact a sanctions measure that should require unanimous approval by all member states.

Hungary also argues that the initiative contradicts the EU treaties, which, in its view, define energy policy as a national competence rather than a field for binding decisions adopted by majority vote.

From strategy to binding regulation

The legal clash comes after years of political debate over the future of Russian energy in Europe. In May 2022, the European Commission presented the REPowerEU plan, setting out the goal of ending EU imports of Russian oil and gas by 2027. The strategy relies on diversifying supplies from alternative partners and on developing a joint gas-purchasing mechanism that would allow participating member states to negotiate and conclude contracts collectively.

EU to end all Russian gas and oil imports by 2027, signals robust energy sanctions

While most EU governments backed the approach, Hungary and Slovakia positioned themselves among the most vocal opponents. In July 2025, Slovakia blocked the adoption of the EU’s 18th sanctions package against Russia, explicitly linking its veto to opposition against REPowerEU. Bratislava warned that the measures threatened both the national economy and the country’s energy security.

Despite this resistance, on 3 December the European Union and the European Parliament reached a preliminary political agreement on a regulation that provides for a phased ban on imports of Russian natural gas – both pipeline gas and LNG. The document is a core element of the REPowerEU roadmap and also provides for a gradual withdrawal from Russian oil.

Under the agreed rules, imports of Russian LNG are to be completely banned from 1 January 2027. Pipeline gas must be phased out no later than 30 September 2027, with the possibility of extending the deadline to 1 November 2027 under specific conditions. A transition period is is foreseen for existing contracts, while any amendments to those contracts will be permitted only for technical reasons and will not be allowed to increase volumes.

The regulation also introduces a prior authorisation regime during the transition period: any remaining supplies of Russian gas will require advance approval. The text provides for fines in case of violations and allows for temporary suspension of the ban in the event of an extraordinary threat to the energy security of individual member states.

The regulation will enter into force after formal approval by the EU Council and the European Parliament.

Why the vote matters

The political conflict between Budapest and Brussels is rooted not only in substance, but also in procedure. Hungary maintains that a ban on Russian oil and gas amounts to sanctions policy and therefore requires unanimity among all member states. The European institutions, however, have advanced the REPowerEU regulation through majority-backed decision-making, treating it as an internal EU energy and market measure rather than a foreign-policy sanction.

This approach effectively bypasses the veto power traditionally available to individual capitals in sanctions policy and allows the bloc to move forward even in the face of firm opposition from a small group of member states.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the decision as “historic”, saying it marked the beginning of a new era of full energy independence from Russia. She noted that the EU’s dependence on Russian gas has already fallen from 45% at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to 13% today, while coal imports have dropped to zero and crude oil imports have fallen to 2%.

At the financial level, she added, monthly EU payments to Russia for fossil fuels have declined from around €12 billion at the start of the war to €1.5 billion.

A court battle ahead

For Hungary and Slovakia, the legal challenge now becomes the final tool to try to stop or delay the energy decoupling process. Both governments insist that the EU is overstepping its authority and undermining national control over energy security.

For Brussels, the case will be a crucial test of whether the bloc can enforce strategic energy decisions through majority procedures when unanimity is politically unreachable.

The outcome will determine not only the fate of Russian gas in Europe, but also the future balance between national sovereignty and EU-level power in one of the most sensitive policy areas of the Union.

Caption: A handout photo made available by the Hungarian PM’s General Department of Communication shows Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban (R) and his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico shaking hands during the 130th anniversary celebration of Maria Valeria Bridge in Esztergom, Hungary, 28 September 2025.