Hungary Challenges Brussels' Regulation at the European Court of Justice

Hungary has challenged Brussels' REPowerEU regulation banning Russian energy imports at the European Court of Justice. However, in order to carry the lawsuit through to the end, the governing parties must win the election, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto announced on Monday.

Brussels had no right to make such a decision (Source: AFP)

The decision prohibiting EU member states from purchasing Russian crude oil and natural gas has been officially published, Peter Szijjarto said according to the statement issued by the ministry. "I want to make it clear that from Hungary’s point of view, only more expensive and less reliable solutions remain. Without Russian crude oil and natural gas, neither the security of the country’s energy supply can be guaranteed, nor can the results of the utility cost reduction program be maintained," he pointed out.

Peter Szijjarto: Hungary has challenged Brussels' REPowerEU regulation at the European Court of Justice (Photo: MTI)

We protect the Hungarian people, we protect Hungarian families, and we will not allow Brussels to kill our utility cost reduction program. We will continue to base Hungary’s energy security and utility cost cuts on cheap Russian crude oil and natural gas,

he said, highlighting that to this end, the Hungarian government has filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Justice, requesting that the measure be annulled.

Peter Szijjarto: Our Submission Is Based on Three Key Arguments

Firstly, Brussels had no right to make such a decision, as the import of energy sources can only be prohibited through sanctions, which would require unanimous approval. "It is a joke that they adopted a measure disguised as trade policy," he said. The second argument is that the EU does not even have the power to take such a measure, as the basic treaty clearly states that each member state can decide for itself from whom and what energy sources to purchase, he stated.

Thirdly, the European Union has a rule known as the 'principle of energy solidarity.' This essentially means that the energy supply of EU countries must be secure.
“Obviously, Brussels' decision violates this principle, at least in the case of Hungary,

he underlined.

The minister believes that the lawsuit will likely last two years.

So this lawsuit must be carried through. But in order to do that, we must win the election, because it is clear that on the other side are lined up those experts from the international energy world who have long lobbied for Hungary to stop buying cheap energy resources from Russia and instead purchase them at higher prices from Western companies,

he stated. "It is obvious that the other side will not see this lawsuit through if they win the election, and that would bring three-fold hikes in utility prices. I suggest we don't give that a chance," he concluded.

Cover photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Photo: AFP)