Fico: Energy Prices Major Concern for Other EU Leaders Too (2)

Brussels, 27 June (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico, following the one-day European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday night, reiterated that Slovakia will not support the 18th package of sanctions against Russia unless it receives guarantees from the European Commission ensuring that the proposed ban on Russian gas imports from January 2028 will not harm Slovakia’s energy security, adding that energy prices remain a highly important issue for other EU leaders as well, TASR has learnt from its special correspondent. “If we aren't harmed by this decision, if we're guaranteed a sufficient volume of gas at a good price, if we're guaranteed the current transit fees, and if we're guaranteed that someone will cover the costs in case we lose the court dispute with Gazprom, then we'll be satisfied,” declared Fico, who discussed the EU’s REPowerEU initiative and possible guarantees with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before the start of the summit. He appreciated the Commission’s constructive approach on the matter. He added that in conversations with several country leaders, he found that the issue of energy prices is extremely important to many of them. “They also understand our problem when I explain it,” he stressed. According to Fico, an important topic at the summit was European defence and security. He said discussions focused on Wednesday’s NATO decision for member states to increase defence spending to up to five percent of their GDP by 2035, as well as on cooperation across Europe, including joint procurement and production. “I'll just repeat the position of the Slovak government: in 2026, defence spending won't be increased by even a cent — not a cent — and will remain at the same level as in 2025,” Fico stated. Another topic concerned the continued assistance to Ukraine. The final text wasn't adopted by all 27-member states, but only by 26, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban disagreed with the joint conclusions due to the mention of a European perspective for Kyiv. „As for the text on Ukraine, what matters to us is that, for the first time, we managed to include in the introductory provisions a reference to the EU’s founding treaties, which state that the EU is a peace project and should primarily strive for peace,” Fico noted. According to the Slovak premier, there was a serious discussion about further enlargement of the European Union. He described Albania and Montenegro as the best prepared countries for joining the EU. „But I think, and I want to say this very openly that Serbia is being seriously wronged. Serbia is a well-prepared country, but all sorts of political reasons are constantly being sought to delay further and further steps Serbia could take towards the European Union,“ Fico noted calling the potential membership of Kosovo a „fiction“. The leaders of the EU-member stated also discussed trade relations with the USA and China. Fico stated that the European Commission plans to finalise an agreement with the United States by 9 July, but that a retaliatory package is also being prepared in case the talks fail. According to the prime minister, there was a long debate on the bloc’s competitiveness. “I stressed — and I repeat — that energy prices are the main factor hurting us. It’s simply unacceptable for the eastern part of the European Union to have the highest prices compared to other regions. That’s not a true single energy market,” he said, adding that energy prices should, in his view, be equal across the EU. lin/mcs