Government Files Lawsuit Over Brussels’ Russian Energy Ban

Following the official publication of the decision prohibiting EU member states from purchasing Russian crude oil and natural gas, Hungary has challenged the Brussels REPowerEU regulation banning Russian energy imports before the European Court of Justice, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced on Monday.

“I would like to make it clear that, from Hungary’s point of view, there are only more expensive and less reliable solutions. Without Russian crude oil and natural gas, neither the security of the country’s energy supply can be guaranteed, nor is it possible to maintain the results of the utility cost reductions,” he pointed out. He announced that

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

Minister Szijjártó explained that their submission refers to three important points.

Today, we took legal action before the European Court of Justice to challenge the REPowerEU regulation banning the import of Russian energy and request its annulment.

Our case is based on three key arguments. First, energy imports can only be banned through sanctions, which…

— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) February 2, 2026

“Firstly, Brussels had no right to make such a decision, as the import of energy sources can only be prohibited by sanctions, which would require a unanimous decision. “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 called the ‘principle of energy solidarity’. This basically means that the energy supply of EU countries must be secure. Obviously, this decision by Brussels violates this principle, at least in the case of Hungary,”

he emphasized.

The minister believed that the lawsuit would likely last between one and two years.

János Bóka, Minister for EU Affairs, wrote in a Facebook post about the REPowerEU regulation that “Brussels has opened another front in the energy war.” The politician noted that this regulation was created by circumventing EU rules because its content constitutes a sanction, which would have required a unanimous decision. “However, Brussels, disguised as a trade measure, pushed through the decision with a qualified majority to avoid resistance from sovereign nation states. This is a serious abuse of law,” he emphasized. Minister Bóka is convinced that this decision violates the interests of Hungary and the Hungarian people.

Fact

On January 26, the Council of the European Union adopted the REPowerEU regulation that will gradually phase out Russian gas in the EU by the end of 2027. In the vote, 24 of the 27 state secretaries and ministers representing the member states voted in favor, while Hungary and Slovakia voted against and Bulgaria abstained.

With the adoption of the regulation, imports of both pipeline gas and liquified natural gas (LNG) transported via Russia into the EU will be prohibited. The ban will take effect six weeks after the regulation enters into force, while existing contracts will be subject to a transitional period. The total ban will apply to LNG imports from the beginning of 2027 and to gas transported via pipelines from the fall of 2027.

Failure to comply with the new rules may result in fines of up to €2.5 million for individuals and up to €40 million for companies, or at least 3.5% of the company’s total worldwide annual turnover or 300% of the estimated transaction turnover.

EU member states must draw up national plans by March 1, 2026, to diversify gas supplies and identify potential challenges related to replacing Russian gas.

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