MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The EU executive is considering bypassing Hungary in the vote on its plan to phase out Russian energy imports by relying on a «qualified majority,» Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.
«We need to gather allies, to prepare legally. There really is a plan to bypass a unanimous decision and pass it by a qualified majority,» Orban told Kossuth Radio.
Hungary is gearing up for an uphill battle in the coming weeks and months to ensure that Hungarian households are not forced to pay twice as much for power and utilities, Orban said.
A qualified majority requires at least 15 out of 27 EU member states representing at least 65% of the total EU population to support the proposal.
On Tuesday, the Commission presented a project on ending Russian energy imports to the EU by the end of 2027. The Commission intends to submit a legislative proposal in June to ban all imports under new Russian gas contracts and existing spot contracts. This ban could come into effect by the end of 2025. Remaining imports of pipeline gas and LNG from Russia under long-term contracts could stop by the end of 2027.
