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Slovakia and Hungary called on Brussels on Monday for greater flexibility in phasing out Russian gas, arguing that their landlocked position and reliance on existing supply routes make diversification more difficult and costly.
Bratislava said it had historically served as an entry point for Russian oil and gas but now risks becoming the end of the line, alongside Hungary, as Russian energy supplies to Central Europe are due to end in 2027 under the EU’s plan to phase out imports from Moscow.
“We would like to discuss with the European Commission how the next EU funding period and the availability of EU funds can meet our needs, particularly regarding the expansion of oil and gas infrastructure in the Visegrad Four region,” Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister Denisa Saková said on the sidelines of a press conference in Bratislava attended by Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen.
Central European ministers want Brussels to recognise their specific circumstances and take regional needs into account when allocating EU funds for new oil and gas infrastructure and preparing the next EU budget period — another point of contention among member states at the latest European Council summit.
The appeal follows pressure from the Visegrad Group — Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia and Poland — on EU leaders at their 15-16 October summit to reconsider measures to lower electricity bills in the region.
Their demands included greater flexibility in the ongoing review of the bloc’s carbon market, the Emissions Trading System (ETS), and delaying its second phase, ETS2, until 2030.
Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen acknowledged the “serious” situation facing people in Central Europe and reiterated the need for “targeted and temporary measures” that would not undermine the bloc’s goal of reducing its reliance on imported fossil fuels.
“We used to be dependent on Russia. We’re moving out of that. Now, that is good. But the current situation shows that we are now dependent on the global market, and events in the Middle East can affect citizens here in Bratislava,” Jørgensen said.
The four EU countries, traditionally more reliant on fossil fuels, argue that high energy prices make it difficult for their industries to commit to investments in electrification. Prices have been driven higher by the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Central European consumers are facing a significantly heavier financial burden, with wholesale electricity futures more than 60% above pre-crisis levels, according to energy think tank Ember.
Ditching Russian energy is raising economic concerns in both countries.
Bratislava and Budapest argue that they face particular challenges in meeting the EU’s diversification requirements and want funding to expand oil and gas infrastructure in the region.
The Visegrad Group has access to several alternative energy sources and supply routes that bypass Russia, albeit at higher cost, with varying levels of integration across the four countries.
“From 2027, we will not be able to import gas from Russia and would like to sign new diversification contracts. Diversification and energy security mean that we have to have prepared rules for the supplies of oil and gas for the V4 region,” Saková added.
Under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary challenged the EU’s plan to phase out Russian energy imports, taking the case to an EU court.
Slovakia backed Budapest’s legal challenge, arguing that phasing out Russian energy would put its industrial competitiveness at a significant disadvantage compared with most other EU countries. A first ruling is expected to take months.