PM Orbán in Brussels: no decision on new sanctions at the EU summit, but no easing of previous ones

EU leaders discuss energy prices and joint procurement in Brussels. They will hear from the Ukrainian president and assess the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Summit in Brussels

EU leaders last met two weeks ago for an informal summit. The European Commission was tasked with developing a solution to tackle energy prices.

“For the Hungarian economy and Hungarian families, the misguided Brussels sanctions are already an almost unbearable burden. At the EU summit starting tomorrow, we will call for a rethink of the policy of war sanctions and for it to be put on a reasonable footing,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said.

The summit draft includes the word sanctions in two places. “The European Union remains ready to impose additional sanctions against Belarus if necessary.” “EU sanctions against Russia will not ban exports of agricultural and food products.”

The debate will mostly be about energy, hvg.hu reports. In the European Parliament, Czech government minister Mikulás Bek said, “Russia is using energy as a weapon in an attempt to reduce Europe’s resolve and economic strength. We will not let this happen.”

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Counter-arguments

The European Commission wants countries to help each other. Some countries are in a more difficult situation and Central Europe is more dependent on Russian energy.

The solidarity programme would not be against the Hungarian government, but for the benefit of Hungarians. However, the Hungarian government does not want to accept any price maximisation because it fears that the Russians will stop supply. This would only be a serious problem for Hungary at the moment.

Some decisions are voted on by the energy ministers of the Member States. Here, a qualified majority is needed for a valid decision, i.e. there is no veto, index.hu reports.

The states are also dealing with developments in the war in Ukraine. They will listen to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky via an online link.

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Source: index.hu, hvg.hu