Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated the bloc’s push to part out Russian vitality imports jeopardizes his nation’s economic system
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has slammed the EU’s plan to part out Russian vitality imports as “imbecilic,” warning that the transfer would undermine his nation’s vitality safety, in addition to the remainder of the bloc.
The RePowerEU plan envisages chopping all Russian oil and fuel imports into the EU by 2027. The scheme has met with opposition not solely from Slovakia, but in addition Hungary, Austria, and reportedly Italy.
In a video posted on Fb on Monday, Fico stated the “battle for Slovakia’s vitality safety is nearing its finish,” acknowledging that Bratislava can’t veto Brussels’ plan. He accused the EU management of intentionally presenting the proposal as commerce laws to pre-empt opposition. Not like sanctions, the plan solely requires a professional majority to go.
“The [European] Fee’s proposal is, excuse my language, imbecilic. Demagogically, it’s the results of a limitless obsession with Russia,” the prime minister stated. He added that phasing out Russian vitality will “injury the Slovak economic system and undermine the competitiveness of your entire EU.”
Responding to a letter from Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who urged Fico to help the EU’s 18th sanctions bundle in opposition to Russia, the Slovak chief said on Monday that he wouldn’t relent till “related stakeholders present [Bratislava] with the required ensures that after January 1, 2028, Slovakia can have adequate fuel provides at affordable costs.”
Slovakia blocked the sanctions bundle for the second time final Friday, demanding that its considerations over the separate RePowerEU plan be addressed first.
Whereas Russian fuel has not been topic to a direct EU ban, most member states have voluntarily lower imports. Nonetheless, a number of landlocked international locations – together with Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic – nonetheless depend on restricted volumes via exemptions. Bratislava and Budapest additionally obtain a lot of their oil from Russia.
Russia has warned that focusing on its vitality exports will proceed to trigger vitality costs to surge throughout the EU, weakening the bloc’s economic system. Since 2022, progress throughout the EU has stagnated.
