Slovakia to Sue EU Over Russian Gas Import Ban

Slovakia will file a lawsuit with the European Union’s Court of Justice challenging the bloc’s decision to ban imports of Russian gas, Prime Minister Robert Fico has said.

The lawsuit will be filed by April 27, as confirmed by Fico and will seek a preliminary injunction to suspend the regulation.

In January 2026, the Council of the European Union formally approved a full ban on Russian liquefied natural gas, with pipeline gas imports set to end on September 30, 2027, and LNG supplies halted from January 1, 2027.

Slovakia and Hungary had previously vetoed the measure, but the EU adopted it using a qualified majority, which Fico criticised as an abuse of power.

“We object that where it was not possible to use a qualified majority, it was used, and that the right of a sovereign EU member state to veto something was circumvented,” Fico said at a press conference on Friday, as quoted by TASR.

“According to the Slovak government, this is a clear violation of all the principles on which the EU treaties are based,” he added.

Justice Minister Boris Susko said the lawsuit would be filed next week, while Fico stated that Slovakia would seek an injunction suspending the regulation.

Hungary, whose outgoing prime minister Viktor Orbán argued that the EU has “shot itself in the lungs” by imposing sanctions on Russia in response to the Ukraine conflict, filed a similar lawsuit in February.

Fico has also strongly criticised what he described as “suicidal” sanctions and urged the bloc to engage diplomatically with Moscow.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the bloc should use “the momentum” from Orbán’s election loss last week to further restrict member states’ veto powers, preventing them from blocking loans to Ukraine.