Slovakia’s Concerns Over RePowerEU Challenge EU Energy Plans | Ukraine news

Slovakia continues to express its concerns regarding the RePowerEU energy initiative, despite recent negotiations with the European Commission. The Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that key issues remain unresolved.

The government and representatives of the Ministry of Economy, as well as energy companies, consider the RePowerEU initiative a “serious challenge” to the competitiveness of the Slovak economy, especially in the context of energy prices and energy security.

Slovakia, as the country most affected by the proposed changes, maintains its reservations. Although it is ready for further dialogue with the European Commission, the Slovak side emphasized that the current version of the proposals is unsatisfactory.

In this regard, Slovakia continues to block the adoption of the European Union’s 18th sanctions package against Russia.

Negotiations and Their Consequences

The meeting held on July 3, 2025, was a continuation of earlier negotiations between Slovakia and the European Commission, which took place in Brussels and Luxembourg. The main focus was on measures within the REPowerEU Roadmap – the EU strategy aimed at completely phasing out Russian energy sources by the end of 2027.

Following consultations, the European Commission partially took Slovakia’s remarks into account. In particular, an agreement was reached to postpone the ban on gas supplies under long-term contracts until 2027, as well as to grant an exemption for landlocked EU countries regarding spot trading of Russian pipeline gas.

Additionally, a provision was added to the text allowing for the temporary suspension of the gas supply ban in the event of a sharp deterioration in energy security or a rapid price increase in a specific EU member state.

At the EU ambassadors’ meeting on June 27, Slovakia requested a delay in adopting the 18th sanctions package against Russia, emphasizing the need to find a satisfactory solution to the negative impacts of the RePowerEU legislation on the country.

Earlier, Hungary also announced its intention to block the adoption of the 18th sanctions package alongside Slovakia. However, Slovak representatives to the EU denied this information, noting that the issue was not included on the agenda of the EU Council meeting.