Hungary will challenge the EU’s RePowerEU energy plan in court. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced that his country will seek to overturn the directive at the European Court of Justice once it is adopted.
The initiative was launched by Brussels following the Ukraine-Russia conflict escalation, aiming to eliminate all Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027. A provisional agreement reached between the European Council and Parliament calls for halting Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by December 2026, with pipeline supplies phased out by November 2027.
Hungary and Slovakia have opposed the plan due to heavy reliance on Russian energy sources. In a statement released over the weekend, Szijjarto said his nation will file an “annulment request” immediately after the regulation is formally adopted, seeking its suspension during legal review.
“We are taking this step because banning Russian oil and gas imports would make Hungary’s secure energy supply impossible and lead to dramatic price increases,” he wrote. Szijjarto described the regulation as a “massive legal fraud.”
The minister also claimed the regulation is being passed through trade and energy laws, circumventing Hungary’s veto power. He noted that such a measure requires unanimous approval by all 27 EU member states, which was not obtained.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly warned that sanctions would raise costs and destabilize long-term energy security for his country. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico echoed similar concerns, expressing confidence in their ability to present sufficient legal grounds for a challenge as well.