Fico: Slovakia to Contest RePowerEU Regulation at Court of Justice of EU

Bratislava, 27 January (TASR) - Slovakia will file a lawsuit with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against the RePowerEU regulation, which will ban imports of natural gas from Russia as of November 2027, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a news conference on Tuesday, adding that Slovakia will challenge the legislation for violating the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. "We'll seek to have this regulation declared to be in contradiction with the fundamental principles on which the European Union is based," said Fico. Hungary, which also voted against the regulation, intends to file the same lawsuit. According to the premier, it's impossible to submit a joint lawsuit, so each country will file one separately. "However, it is absolutely normal for us to coordinate the arguments and reasoning behind these lawsuits. An intensive exchange of information is already taking place, and we'll decide on the course of action at the government session," he added. Fico reiterated his position that this is an ideological decision and energy suicide for the EU. In line with the regulation, Russian gas supplies, including those delivered via pipelines and with long-term contracts, must end no later than November of next year. The premier believes that the war in Ukraine will be over by this date and that the decision will be reconsidered. By halting supplies, Slovakia will find itself at the end of a gas transit chain, and it's not certain whether larger countries will take into account the needs of smaller ones "at the end of the pipe" in the event of a shortage on the markets, stated Fico. ko/df