Fico: Cabinet Will Consider Lawsuit against EU for Halting Russian Gas Supplies

Fico: Cabinet Will Consider Lawsuit against EU for Halting Russian Gas Supplies        Bratislava, 19 November (TASR) - At its next meeting, the government will discuss the possibility of suing the European Union (EU) for its decision to end Russian gas supplies as of 2028, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) following the government meeting on Wednesday.
        The premier tasked Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD), Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar and Justice Minister Boris Susko (both Smer-SD) with submitting a document analysing the possibility of filing such a lawsuit at the next government meeting.
        The premier pointed out that Slovakia and Hungary will be the countries most affected by the European Commission's decision. "This decision is extremely damaging to us. You know that we didn't vote for it," he emphasised, adding that the government will also address the European Commission's commitments to help Slovakia with energy. "Everything will depend on how the European Commission fulfils its commitments to Slovakia, which were made and signed directly by the European Commission president [Ursula von der Leyen]," added Fico.
        The EU decided to cut itself off from Russian energy supplies by a qualified majority of member states, which, according to the prime minister, is a violation of EU legislation. RePower EU concerns not only natural gas but also oil supplies.
        The prime minister further stated that another item on the agenda of next Wednesday's (26 November) government meeting will be the use of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. "We're talking about €140 billion that the Commission literally wants to donate to Ukraine, which raises a huge number of legal questions and a great deal of uncertainty in Europe," said Fico.
        According to him, the confiscation of these frozen Russian assets could in practice mean, for example, the confiscation of EU-member states' assets on Russian territory, as well as hundreds of arbitration proceedings. "That's why I'd like to ask the European Commission and everyone else to be as legally and politically restrained as possible," added the premier.