Hungary’s action before the CJEU against the REPowerEU Regulation due to energy security and sovereignty concerns

Question for written answer E-000547/2026
to the Commission
Rule 144
Petra Steger (PfE)

On 2 February 2026, the Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó announced that Hungary has lodged an action before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Luxembourg against the so-called REPowerEU Regulation[1]. This Regulation provides for a full ban on Russian natural gas imports effective from the end of 2027, which is likely to further exacerbate Europe-wide the issue of high energy prices that are uncompetitive internationally. Furthermore, the import ban poses a significant risk to energy security, in particular for landlocked countries, such as Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, that do not have their own access to the sea .

It is all the more concerning that the EU did not adopt this far-reaching initiative by unanimous decision, as is the usual procedure for similar sanction measures, and instead exploited a procedural loophole to push it through by qualified majority. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides that the Member States are free to decide for themselves how they use their energy sources. Slovakia has also announced that it intends to lodge an action before the CJEU against the systematic undermining of national decision-making and veto rights[2].

• 1.Why was the import ban on Russian gas not designed as a classic sanction measure requiring unanimity and instead deliberately pushed through by qualified majority?
• 2.What is the Commission's assessment of Hungary and Slovakia's strong criticism and of the actions that have been and are to be brought before the CJEU?
• 3.What binding guarantees can the Commission provide that procedural loopholes will not be used in the future to systematically undermine national sovereignty?

Submitted: 10.2.2026

• [1] https://orf.at/stories/3418994/
• [2] https://www.kleinezeitung.at/wirtschaft/20521861/auch-slowakei-will-gegen-eu-importstopp-fuer-russisches-gas-klagen.