Government cleared stance about the EU’s planned cap on gas prices

Hungary will not support any proposal that could threaten energy supplies, the minister of technology and industry said in Brussels on Thursday. The European Union’s cap on gas prices is one such example, László Palkovics said.

Palkovics said a stoppage in Russian gas supplies would affect not only Hungary but other EU countries, too, including Slovakia. “Full independence from Russian gas is currently untenable,” he said.

Gas flowing into Hungary from the south will cover consumption needs until March, he said. “If the current situation in Hungary remains unchanged, winter will be manageable from the point of energy security,” he added.

Commenting on a review of Hungary’s energy strategy, he said the government has prepared an energy transition plan aiming to reduce the proportion of natural gas in the energy mix. The 16 billion euro scheme will ensure that by 2050 the Hungarian end-user energy mix includes less than 10 percent gas as against the current 45 percent. “By 2050 we’d like to use gas only for the purpose of firing up [fossil-fuelled] power stations when needed,” he added.

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Commenting on the conclusions of a Thursday meeting on EU competition affairs, he said all member states supported a European Commission proposal on the single market emergency instrument presented on Sept. 19 in principle, but further details were pending.

Ministers have also discussed a proposal on environmentally friendly planning for sustainable products submitted by the EC last spring, he said. “The Hungarian government also supports this proposal because Europe has a shortage of raw materials and energy, and therefore products should be planned without excessive energy and material requirements,” he added.