Hungary has vowed legal action against the European Union over a planned ban on Russian gas imports by 2027, after Brussels said national objections would not override EU law.
Budapest plans to file a lawsuit at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) once the regulation is formally published.
The government argues the ban oversteps EU competences and should have required unanimity, describing it as a “sanctions-type” measure that infringes national control over energy policy.
Slovakia has signalled it will launch a similar challenge.
EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Lars Aagaard Jørgensen told reporters in Lisbon Hungary is free to contest the legislation in court but stressed that all member states “must comply with EU law, even if they disagree”.
He said the measure was “legally sound”, according to Reuters.
The CJEU is the EU’s highest court on matters of EU law. It can annul EU regulations or uphold them and its rulings are final and binding on all member states.
Hungary could also ask judges to suspend parts of the regulation during proceedings, although such interim measures are rarely granted.
Why Hungary cares
Hungary remains one of the EU member states most dependent on Russian gas. While the bloc’s overall imports from Russia have dropped sharply since 2022, Hungary continues to rely on long-term pipeline contracts and argues that an abrupt shift would threaten energy security and raise household heating costs.
The government says the ban risks undermining its domestic price-cap system and places “unfair burdens” on countries without access to LNG terminals or diversified supply routes.
Russia once supplied nearly half of the EU’s gas. By late 2025, this had fallen to around 12% of EU imports but Hungary still sources a significant share of its supply from Moscow through the TurkStream route.
Budapest insists the 2027 deadline provides insufficient time to secure alternatives.
Member states have previously taken the European Commission to court over environmental and competition regulations, but direct legal challenges against major EU energy or sanctions-related measures are rare.
For example, Poland successfully challenged elements of the EU’s Emissions Trading System in the 2010s and Germany brought cases over renewable energy state-aid rules but neither involved a core strategic sanctions-type measure on energy imports.
The outcome could set an important benchmark for how far the EU can go in reshaping the bloc’s energy system under majority voting.
The explosion at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday afternoon killed at least 12 people and injured a further 309, according t...
Indian police detained more than 2,000 protesters in Delhi on Saturday as authorities blocked a planned demonstration calling for the resignation o...
At least 12 people, including three children, have been killed in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, a day after U.S. Presiden...
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
The explosion at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday afternoon killed at least 12 people and injured a further 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority. The airport remains closed until further notice.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday (9 October) escalating tensions with European allies and potentially targeting companies that provide services to the tribunal. The move came hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Indian police detained more than 2,000 protesters in Delhi on Saturday as authorities blocked a planned demonstration calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over disputed changes to voter lists.
At least 12 people, including three children, have been killed in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a deal to ease sanctions on Russian diesel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports, questioning why Moscow was granted an economic benefit without an apparent concession towards ending the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed surprise after Donald Trump mediated the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement in 2025, the U.S. President said at a rally in New York state on Friday.
The United Nations has condemned a sharp rise in attacks on civilians in Ukraine, reporting that more than 100 people were killed and at least 429 injured in a single week as Russian strikes hit residential areas, passenger buses and critical infrastructure.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment