Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday that Hungary is about to receive an exemption from a planned price cap on Russian oil imports as part of EU sanctions against Russia, adding that at the same time “several dangerous proposals are still on the table” of the European commission, reports the Hungarian agency MTI, quoted by Agerpres.

According to the current draft, the restriction will not apply to oil imports via pipelines or, if the pipelines (which pass through Ukraine) can no longer be used, to imports by sea to replace those that will come through the relevant pipelines, the Hungarian explained. minister.

He also noted that EU countries have also begun to discuss setting ceiling prices for Russian gas imports, and this idea will be discussed again at a meeting of European energy ministers on December 13. The Hungarian minister called this initiative “dangerous, useless and inadequate”, as there is a risk of diverting some volumes of gas from the European market to other markets.

“Imagine a situation when someone from Brussels can order us to transfer to another country the gas bought with the money of the Hungarian people”

As for other European Commission initiatives, Szijjarto criticized the solidarity mechanism aimed at avoiding large disparities in gas supplies between EU states, saying the plan reflects “once again Brussels’ desire to have more power to erode energy sovereignty.” policies of member states”.

“Imagine a situation when someone from Brussels can order us to transfer to another country the gas bought with the money of the Hungarian people, for the Hungarian people and for the functioning of the Hungarian economy,” he said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Sijarto (Photo: Yuliya Ovsyannikova / Zuma Press / Profimedia)

In particular, to help Germany, a country heavily dependent on Russian gas and whose economy is linked to that of the entire EU bloc, the European Commission asked EU countries to cut gas consumption by 15% between August 2022 and March 2023 compared to average over the past five years, amid supply disruptions due to the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.

Rejected by some member states, the Commission’s proposal was finally included in an agreement reached in July at EU level, which stipulates that the reduction will be voluntary for now, but in the event of a “risk of serious shortages” of gas, the community’s executive can make it mandatory, with some exceptions for a few Member States.

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