Hungary FM: Brussels Jeopardizes Utility Cost Cuts

On the proposal of Ursula von der Leyen, Brussels has voted to ban the purchase of cheap Russian natural gas and crude oil, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto announced. Hungary must challenge this at the European Court of Justice.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (Photo: AFP)

Yesterday, Von der Leyen's proposal was approved in Brussels.This could have been prevented. The opportunity was there last week: there was a chance to remove Von der Leyen, but the Tisza Party's EP group, the European People’s Party, including Tisza MEPs, did not support the motion of no confidence, thus saving Von der Leyen, 

the minister emphasized.

According to Peter Szijjarto, there is still a chance to block the decision. The regulation must be challenged at the European Court of Justice, and the legal case must be pursued to achieve its annulment. The legal submission is already prepared, he said, and as soon as the decision is officially published, the lawsuit will be launched immediately and carried through to the end, provided that the current government remains in office.

However, if the Tisza Party were to win the election, they would not carry through the lawsuit. They would allow Hungary to be cut off from cheap Russian energy. The president of the Tisza Party, who considers utility cost cuts to be a hoax, has surrounded himself with two representatives of international big capital who have been lobbying for years to block Hungary from purchasing cheap Russian energy. The stake of April 12 is therefore this: will utility cost cuts remain in place?

he concluded in his post.

Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (Photo: AFP)