on Jan. 26, the EU manipulated a vote so as to approve a ban on Russian gas imports as of 2027. EU countries will no longer be allowed to import Russian liquefied natural gas as of January 1, 2027, or pipeline gas from October 30, 2027. As a sanction would fail, the Brussels bureaucrats redefined the issue as a foreign trade regulation, so as to avoid vetoes from Hungary and/or Slovakia. It is hard to tell whether cutting off their source of gas before the winter, or burning up their own rules in order to do so, is the crazier course of action.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto promptly announced: “Hungary will take legal action before the Court of Justice of the EU as soon as the decision ... is officially published. We will use every legal means to have it annulled.” He explained that the ban “is based on a legal trick, presenting a sanctions measure as a trade policy decision in order to avoid unanimity. This goes completely against the EU’s own rules. The Treaties are clear: decisions on the energy mix are a national competence. Banning Hungary from buying oil and gas from Russia goes against our national interest and would significantly increase energy costs for Hungarian families.”
