The Slovak Republic has filed a lawsuit with the EU Court of Justice over a new regulation that would stop imports of Russian gas and oil. Prime Minister Robert Fico said that this decision is harmful not only to Slovakia, but to the entire European Union.
The essence of Slovakia's claim
The Slovak Republic has challenged in the EU Court of Justice a regulation of the European Council and the European Parliament that provides for a complete ban on Russian energy imports. According to the Prime Minister Roberta Fico, The document was adopted on 26 January 2026 and, in his opinion, is extremely harmful to the EU.
Fico emphasised that the decision on the sanctions regime had to be taken unanimously, as it concerns key energy issues and affects all member states.
Current situation with energy imports
Slovakia currently imports Russian gas through the «Turkish Stream»and has the ability to continue these supplies until autumn 2027. At the same time, the Druzhba pipeline is not working, which limits the country's energy supply alternatives.
A complete ban on Russian energy imports is due to take effect from 1 November 2027, according to the new regulations.
Position of the Slovak government
Prime Minister Robert Fico said in the EU Court of Justice that the Slovak government was concerned about both the content and the procedure for adopting the regulation. According to him, Slovakia is not the only country that has comments on this decision, and other EU prime ministers share a similar position.
The Government believes that the decision to sanctions decisions of this magnitude should be adopted only unanimously, not by a majority vote. Bratislava believes that this will ensure that the interests of all EU members are taken into account.
Possible implications for the EU
The Slovak lawsuit could set a precedent for other countries that depend on Russian energy imports. Domestic discussions on energy security and sanctions policy continue.
Ukrainian
English