Slovakia says it will challenge EU ban on Russian gas imports in court
The Facts
- Slovakia said it will file a lawsuit with the EU's Court of Justice challenging the EU ban on Russian gas imports.
- Prime Minister Robert Fico said Slovakia will seek a preliminary injunction or temporary measure alongside the lawsuit.
- Fico criticized the procedure used to adopt the measure, saying Slovakia objects to the way the regulation was approved.
- Fico said decisions involving sanctions and foreign policy should be adopted unanimously, not by qualified majority.
- The EU measure to ban Russian gas imports was approved earlier this year despite opposition from Slovakia and Hungary.
- The ban on Russian gas imports is scheduled to take effect by late 2027.
- Hungary has already filed its own legal challenge against the ban.
Context
What is Slovakia challenging?
Slovakia is challenging the EU decision to ban Russian gas imports and says it will ask the EU's Court of Justice to review the regulation and suspend it while the case proceeds Reuters,Anadolu Ajansı,УКРІНФОРМ.
Why does Fico say the EU acted improperly?
Fico says the ban is effectively a sanctions measure tied to foreign policy, so in his view it should have been adopted unanimously by EU member states rather than by qualified majority Reuters,ANSA.it,Interfax.ru.
Why does this case matter beyond Slovakia?
The case concerns an EU measure meant to phase out Russian gas by late 2027, so it could affect both Slovakia's energy supply planning and the EU's broader effort to reduce dependence on Russian energy Reuters,Radio Sarajevo,ZAXID.NET.
How left and right read it
Slovakia’s lawsuit puts the focus on whether the EU used the right legal process as it moves to end Russian gas imports by late 2027. Robert Fico says the measure should have required unanimity because it touches sanctions and foreign policy, and Slovakia is seeking a preliminary injunction after the ban was approved despite opposition from Slovakia and Hungary.
Slovakia’s challenge underscores a basic question of national consent inside the EU: whether a measure tied to sanctions and foreign policy can be pushed through by qualified majority over a member state’s objection. Robert Fico says it cannot, and Slovakia is now going to court and seeking a temporary measure after the ban passed despite opposition from Slovakia and Hungary.
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Wire services (2)
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