Which gas: Slovakia will ask the EC for permission to supply fuel from Russia
Slovakia plans to start negotiations with the European Commission to continue importing gas from Russia, despite the general ban. This was reported to Izvestia by the deputy speaker of the country's parliament, Tibor Gaspar. Earlier, EC President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that a complete cessation of purchases of Russian gas is planned by the end of 2027. However, this winter the EU risks facing a record fuel shortage. Experts point out that Hungary and Slovakia, which are landlocked, may suffer the most. At the same time, Budapest nevertheless decided to accept the conditions of the EC in order to unfreeze financing. Whether Bratislava will be able to achieve the preservation of gas imports from Russia is in the Izvestia article.
Slovakia wants to keep gas supplies from Russia
EU countries will face a record gas shortage in 15 years this winter, according to estimates by experts published by Politico. Demand may exceed supply by 7%, and the authorities of European countries will have to look for an additional 14 billion cubic meters, a volume sufficient to supply 10-12 million households with energy, the American analytical center IEEFA estimates. The current situation will force them to buy fuel at higher prices in unstable markets. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico recently acknowledged a serious problem with the EU's preparations for the heating season.
Despite this, the European Union intends to completely abandon Russian gas by the end of 2027, the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen confirmed in early October. But Slovakia will request a transition period from the EC in order to continue supplying fuel from Russia, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic Tibor Gaspar told Izvestia. According to him, "the decision to completely stop importing Russian gas does not meet the interests of either Slovakia or the EU as a whole."
— We have filed a lawsuit with the EU Court and intend to use all available legal means to protect Slovakia's energy security. At the same time, we will negotiate with the European Commission on the possibilities to ensure a sufficient transition period for the continuation of Russian gas supplies, if necessary," said the Slovak politician.
In light of possible force majeure situations, Brussels is likely to extend permission for Slovakia to purchase Russian gas, said Mikhail Vedernikov, a leading researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Parliamentary elections are expected in the country next year, so it is extremely important for the country's authorities to ensure the continuation of supplies. The republic has already created the necessary reserves for the coming winter thanks to a contract with Gazprom, said Denisa Sakova, Minister of Economy of Slovakia.
Currently, Slovakia, like Hungary, receives gas from Russia via the Turkish Stream, since Ukraine has stopped transit of fuel through its territory since January 1, 2025. The current contract of the Slovak state-owned company SPP with Gazprom runs until 2034. The EU ban creates the risk that Slovakia will have to pay huge penalties.
In addition, the country has no access to the sea, which means that it will have to purchase LNG at a high price through Croatia, said Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund and an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. According to the expert, a 20-30% rise in gas prices may well create major economic problems for Bratislava. The Slovak authorities are already forced to spend large amounts of money to compensate for the increase in gas and electricity tariffs for the population. This year alone, more than 400 million euros have been allocated for these purposes.
Court proceedings
In April, Bratislava appealed to the EU Court of Justice to annul the regulation, which introduces a phased total ban on the import of Russian natural gas (LNG and pipeline) by the end of 2027. Slovakia points out that such a ban refers to sanctions that must be adopted unanimously. Brussels passed this document under the guise of "trade and energy policy", which allowed it to be approved by the usual qualified majority, depriving Slovakia and Hungary of the right of veto.
Budapest filed a similar lawsuit in February, and Peter Magyar's new government has not yet withdrawn the document. Nevertheless, Hungary still intends to fulfill the conditions of Brussels in order to unfreeze financing: in September, Hungarian Minister of Economy and Energy Istvan Kapitan publicly confirmed that the country would abandon gas from Russia by October 2027. Instead, the Magyar cabinet signs contracts with Engie, Shell, as well as Azerbaijan and Qatar.
Bratislava is also looking for an alternative to Russian gas: in July, the Slovak government officially announced plans to conclude a large 10-year contract with Azerbaijan for the annual supply of 1.2 billion cubic meters. As Mikhail Vedernikov noted, nuclear energy is another way. A new power unit of the Slovak nuclear power plant Mokhovce has recently been commissioned.
It should be borne in mind that Slovakia may change its position, as well as Hungary. Currently, the chances of Robert Fico and his partners forming a new government following the elections in 2027 are assessed as low. If the opposition comes to power, Bratislava will focus on Brussels and do everything possible to abandon Russian gas.
How Europe is abandoning Russian energy resources
Since 2022, the share of Russian fuel in the total volume of European gas imports has decreased to 12%. Last year, pipe shipments fell to a historic low of about 18 billion cubic meters, as only the Turkish Stream remained. The remaining routes: Nord Streams, Yamal–Europe and transit through Ukraine are no longer in use. However, European companies have maximized purchases of Russian LNG in an effort to fill storage facilities before official restrictions take effect.
European countries can be roughly divided into two camps. At the beginning of 2025, a group of 10 EU states sent an official joint appeal to Brussels demanding a complete ban on the import of Russian fuel as soon as possible. These include the Baltic States, Denmark, Poland, Ireland, Romania, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Since then, only Prague's position has softened somewhat, when Andrei Babish, the leader of the ANO 2011 party, returned to power.
On the contrary, the countries of Southern and Western Europe continue to purchase Russian fuel. According to open data, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain are among the leaders. Greece actively transports fuel from Russia to third countries, and Athens was able to protect this right from EU sanctions.
Germany, the main consumer of Russian gas in Europe, has taken an ambiguous position in the past. Officially, Berlin actively supports the ban on the import of energy resources from the Russian Federation. However, at the same time, Germany is interested in resuming supplies, Izvestia wrote earlier. According to a diplomatic source, Germany is ready to import gas through the surviving branch of Nord Stream 2. This would be possible if the conflict in Ukraine were to end, the source said.
The complete abandonment of Russian gas will only intensify the energy crisis in Europe, Igor Yushkov believes. However, Brussels proceeds from a desire to reduce Russia's income, rather than protect European businesses and citizens. However, the growing resistance to such a policy shows that Europe will not be able to completely abandon Russian energy sources.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
