Slovakia disagrees with the EC’s plan to stop gas and oil supplies from Russia

Bratislava – Slovakia disagrees with the European Commission’s (EC) plan to stop the supply of gas, oil, and nuclear fuel from Russia. According to the Ministry of Economy (MH) of the Slovak Republic, such a plan is not in the interest of Slovakia or other EU member states. This was announced on Tuesday by the press department of the MH SR, as reported by TASR.

“We are against the European Commission preparing measures that harm not only our national interests and the purchasing power of Slovak households but also all of Europe. Therefore, the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic fundamentally disagrees with the proposal of the European Commission and we will communicate in this spirit at the European Commission level,” said Minister of Economy Denisa Saková (Hlas-SD).

According to the Ministry of Economy, the proposed targets, which speak of stopping all imports of energy carriers from Russia to the EU by 2027 and introducing several restrictions from next year, will have a negative impact on energy prices in Europe. The ministry warned that this will further worsen the competitiveness of the European industry. According to the MH SR, it will also have a negative impact on energy prices for households.

The ministry criticized that the EC’s proposal did not undergo a proper impact assessment, does not contain an analysis of the impact on prices, competitiveness, or energy security. The EC was also criticized for not presenting real solutions on how to combat high energy prices.

The ministry reminded that EU member states imported 52 billion cubic meters of Russian gas last year, which represents approximately 19% of total gas imports to the EU. In addition, the EU also imported 13 million tons of oil and more than 2800 tons of enriched uranium or fuel. Ten member states imported Russian gas in 2024, three member states still imported Russian oil, and seven member states imported enriched uranium or uranium-related services from Russia.

On Tuesday, the EC announced that the EU would stop importing Russian gas by the end of 2027 and would ensure complete energy independence of the EU from Russia by stopping oil and gradually ending the supply of Russian nuclear energy. The Commission specified that it would also ensure stable energy supplies and stable prices throughout the Union. (May 6)

“We are against the European Commission preparing measures that harm not only our national interests and the purchasing power of Slovak households but also all of Europe. Therefore, the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic fundamentally disagrees with the proposal of the European Commission and we will communicate in this spirit at the European Commission level.” Denisa Saková