On July 14th, local time, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Fischer, stated on social media that
The European Commission has submitted a written guarantee proposal to Slovakia, as part of the country’s support for the 18th round of sanctions against Russia.
It is reported that the proposal includes provisions for Slovakia to receive safeguard measures after the EU gradually ceases importing natural gas from Russia, allowing it to purchase affordable natural gas.
Fischer mentioned that if the European Commission fails to provide a minimum level of guarantee regarding its proposal to address its energy import ban from Russia, Slovakia will refuse to participate in the vote on sanctions that requires unanimous consent from all member states.
Fischer stated that he had submitted the proposal to the chairpersons of all relevant political parties in his country and was waiting for their feedback. He did not elaborate on the specific content of the safeguard measures.
EU Sanctions Against Russia Face Resistance as Slovakia Seeks Energy Compensation
On June 30th, local time, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Fischer, spoke with German Chancellor Merkel via phone about Russian natural gas and sanctions against Russia. He expressed that the European Commission’s proposal to stop importing Russian natural gas poses a threat to the entire EU, especially to Slovakia. If the EU cannot fully ensure a reduction in the severity of the situation and compensate Slovakia for the losses caused by the disruption of Russian gas supplies, Slovakia will request a postponement of the vote on the 18th round of sanctions against Russia.
Since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in February 2022, the EU has imposed 17 rounds of sanctions on Russia, covering energy, finance, trade, and personal sectors. The 18th round of sanctions plans to further tighten restrictions on Russian energy exports, particularly through the “Renewable Energy for Europe” scheme, aiming to phase out Russian oil and gas imports by the end of 2027 and completely ban imports from Russia starting from 2028.
Slovakia and Hungary believe that the proposal does not sufficiently consider their respective energy structures and economic realities, lacking adequate transitional support and compensation mechanisms. (CCTV Wulong)
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has triggered multilateral negotiations.