Sakova: Slovakia Doesn't Support Proposed Measures under REPowerEU Regulation

Bratislava, 21 October (TASR) - Slovakia, as a central European country, doesn't support the proposed measures under the REPowerEU regulation, the Economy Ministry's press department stated in connection with Economy Minister Denisa Sakova's (Voice-SD) participation in the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy (TTE) Council session in Luxembourg on Monday (20 October), where she represented Slovakia. The main topic at the meeting of ministers and representatives of EU-member states at the Energy Council was the implementation of the REPowerEU plan, which aims to ban imports of Russian pipeline gas and LNG into the EU as of 1 January 2028 and to promote the diversification of energy supplies from other sources. The meeting also discussed energy security and the resilience of Ukraine and Moldova, their integration into the EU energy market and the electrification of industry as a key tool for the green and digital transformation. "The REPowerEU regulation is an extremely sensitive topic for Slovakia - not only politically, but especially economically. The reasons are twofold - securing physical gas supplies and the impact on energy prices on our households and industry. That's why we couldn't support this proposal. However, thanks to our intensive work and constructive cooperation with the European Commission, we managed to ensure that Slovakia will be able to use its long-term contract for gas imports from Russia, for which the transit fees are paid by the supplier, until 1 January 2028," said Sakova after the meeting. "Unfortunately, our proposal for an emergency brake, which would have temporarily suspended the application of the regulation in the event of a price spike, hasn't been pushed through. Furthermore, we expect that financial support from European tools will take into account the needs of the countries that will be affected most by this regulation. Slovakia has already submitted a specific proposal and we hope that it will be taken into account during the negotiations. Likewise, I firmly believe that the European Parliament will be constructive in the upcoming negotiations with the Council and won't force an end to Russian gas imports before January 2028," emphasised the minister. am/df