The Hungarian government intends to block the European Commission’s (EC) proposal, which calls for a full ban on Russian energy supplies to EU states from the end of 2027, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on the Kossuth radio station.
At talks in Brussels on those issues, Budapest should "be not only prudent, but also resolute in opposing the decision that would prohibit the use of Russian gas," he said. The measure being drafted by the EC will raise Hungary’s energy bills by 2 billion euros per year, and trigger a sharp rise in the cost of housing and utilities services for the population, the premier added.
He said earlier that Budapest would dispute Brussels’ proposals from the legal viewpoint as it considers them incompatible with EU laws. Moreover, Hungary is convinced that the EC’s initiative is entirely political, not economic, which is why it is tantamount to sanctions that may only be introduced on the basis of a consensus between all EU members. Consequently, Hungary has the right to veto such a decision.
"We should not allow the imposition of sanctions against Russian energy and the application of sanctions to Hungary," Orban said on Kossuth.
The European Commission’s plan reflects the policy of leaders of a number of EU countries, including Germany and the Czech Republic, that, instead of seeking to reduce energy prices, are pushing prices upward, he noted. "They want to hurt Russia, which is why the ban on Russian goods and aid to Ukraine are more important to them than the prosperity of our own families and our business," the premier said, adding that Hungary "takes an opposing view," which it continues defending at EU meetings in Brussels.
