The EU Commission wants Russian oil deliveries to the EU to be largely stopped by the beginning of next year. Hungary’s Prime Minister criticizes this approach and speaks of a “nuclear bomb for the economy” of his country.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vehemently rejects the EU Commission’s proposal for sanctions on oil imports from Russia.
“It is tantamount to an atomic bomb being dropped on the Hungarian economy,” said the right-wing politician on state radio. Nor could his country replace Russian oil imports within the 20-month period that the proposal explicitly envisages for Hungary.
“According to our own calculations, we need five years for the conversion (to oil without Russian imports), a delay of one or a year and a half does not help,” Orban continued. The Commission’s proposal would not only mean that energy would become more expensive in Hungary, but that the country would no longer have any energy sources at all. “That’s why I say: return it to the sender!”
With Orban, Hungary has come very close to Russia
Orban has governed Hungary since 2010. Last month, his Fidesz party won the general election, giving him his fourth consecutive prime minister. Under his rule, the country has closely approximated Russia. However, Budapest supported the EU’s previous sanctions packages, which it had issued in response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
“But even then we said that there was a red line that must not be crossed. That’s the energy sector,” Orban said in the radio interview. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the EU Commission’s oil embargo plan “attacked the unity of Europe that had emerged (in this situation).”
On Wednesday, the EU Commission presented a draft of a sanctions package that envisages the extensive suspension of Russian oil supplies to the EU by the beginning of next year. The proposal includes an exception for Hungary and Slovakia, but other member countries have now also registered reservations. The proposal can only be decided unanimously.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
