Slovakia firmly refuses to support the European Union’s REPowerEU initiative, which envisions a complete phase-out of Russian gas by January 1, 2028. This was stated by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“The Slovak Republic will never support the REPowerEU gas supply initiative, as it will harm Slovak households and the economy, as well as further reduce the competitiveness of the entire EU. By submitting this proposal, the European Commission blatantly ignores the political mandate approved by the European Council.”
– Robert Fico
Fico also noted that although Slovakia does not have veto power over this proposal, it considers it sanction-related and links it to the 18th package of sanctions against Russia.
“We consider this proposal to be sanction-related and therefore naturally associate it with the proposed 18th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation. Therefore, we expect that the vote on the 18th package can only take place after the significant risks related to REPowerEU’s gas supply from 2028 are resolved.”
– Robert Fico
The Prime Minister also emphasized that this initiative is not supported by either the opposition parties or the Slovak business community. He called for continued dialogue between the Slovak government and the European Commission to clearly understand the political commitments of the Commission.
“Under these circumstances, I ask you to use the coming hours and days to continue the dialogue between the Slovak government and the European Commission, particularly in the interest of a clear interpretation of the commitments the Commission undertakes at the political level and which are outlined in your letter dated July 15, 2025. Until then, Slovakia will request a postponement of the vote on the 18th sanctions package.”
– Robert Fico
On July 15, Fico announced that the European Commission offered Slovakia certain guarantees regarding the phase-out of Russian gas in exchange for support of the 18th sanctions package against Russia. Although the details of this proposal have not yet been disclosed, the Prime Minister promised to send a written proposal to the leaders of all political parties in the country and is awaiting their response.