Fico: Slovakia to sue EU over Russian gas ban
Photo: Robert Fico (Getty Images)
Slovakia will file a lawsuit in the coming days challenging the EU’s decision to ban imports of Russian gas and will seek an interim ruling from the court, states Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, according to Reuters.
The lawsuit will be filed with the Court of Justice of the European Union, he said, criticizing the procedure used to adopt the regulation.
"According to the Slovak government, this is a clear violation of all the principles on which the EU treaties are based," Fico stressed.
The Slovak prime minister added that decisions on sanctions and foreign policy issues should be taken unanimously.
Hungary has already filed a lawsuit against the ban, while Slovakia previously stated it would do the same. Fico noted that the government will submit its claim by April 27.
Both countries continue to receive Russian gas, despite EU efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy and cut funding for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
EU moves away from Russian gas
On December 3, 2025, representatives of the European Council and the European Parliament reached a preliminary agreement to completely phase out imports of Russian natural gas by 2027.
Two weeks later, on December 17, the European Parliament approved the EU’s plans for a gradual phase-out of gas imports from Russia.
On January 26, 2026, the Council of the European Union formally approved a full ban on Russian liquefied natural gas. LNG supplies will be halted from January 1, 2027, while pipeline gas imports will end on September 30, 2027.
