Hungary is challenging a regulation that obliges EU countries to completely stop importing Russian LNG and pipeline gas by 2027.
What does Hungary disagree with?
Budapest’s argumentation comes from the EU’s violation of the principle of sovereignty. Decisions on the energy balance are the national competence of the member states, Siijarto believes. He qualifies such a ban as “legal fraud”. And he argues that the EU has framed the ban as a trade policy measure (adopted by a qualified majority), when in fact it is a sanction requiring unanimous approval of all 27 countries (which would allow Hungary to use its veto power).
Official Budapest has always maintained the position that without Russian energy, Hungary will not be able to guarantee low tariffs for the population and has been an opponent of the EU’s energy security policy. Slovakia has also expressed its intention to join the legal challenge to the decision.
When will the ban come into force?
Earlier, the EU formally approved a plan to completely phase out imports of Russian pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) by November 1, 2027 as part of the REPowerEU strategy. The process will begin on February 3, 2026 with a ban on new short-term contracts, with restrictions on long-term purchases coming into effect in 2027.
According to Reuters data released earlier this week, average daily natural gas deliveries to Europe via the Turkish Stream undersea pipeline increased 10.3 percent in January compared to the same month last year. The total volume of Russian gas delivered to Europe via Turkish Stream in January thus reached 1.73 billion cubic meters, 160 million cubic meters more than in January 2025.
