Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Seyardo Seyardo, said on Monday in Luxembourg that Hungary will take all political and legal measures to prevent the EU from passing a proposal called the “Renewable Energy Europe” (REPowerEU) that aims to ban Russian energy imports.
It is reported that the draft regulation aims to completely stop the EU's import of Russian pipeline natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) by January 1, 2028. As of January 1, 2026, the EU prohibits internal parties from entering into new contracts with Russia for imported natural gas; At the same time, a transition period is reserved for existing contracts, with short-term contracts lasting until June 17, 2026 and long-term contracts terminating before January 1, 2028. The proposal also needs to be approved by the European Parliament.
According to Seyardo, the Hungarian government may appeal to the law to block the ban on Russian energy imports. The adoption of the plan clearly violates EU law, in fact, it is a sanction measure and therefore needs to be unanimously passed, not a specific majority.