Slovakia has voiced strong opposition to a new European Commission proposal to end the European Union’s reliance on Russian gas, oil, and nuclear fuel by 2027, warning that the plan would harm national and regional interests.

The Slovak Ministry of Economy issued a statement rejecting the Commission’s REPowerEU Roadmap, which outlined a phased plan to cut off energy ties with Russia across all 27 EU member states.

“The roadmap proposes an immediate halt to new contracts for Russian gas, with all spot market deals to end by 2025 and full cessation of Russian gas imports by the close of 2027.

“This proposal is not in Slovakia’s interest, nor in the interest of other EU member states,” the ministry stated, citing concerns over energy prices and industrial competitiveness.

Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Denisa Saková criticised the plan for lacking a proper impact assessment.

“The proposal does not contain any comprehensive analysis on price effects, competitiveness, or energy security,” she said, adding that Slovakia will formally communicate its disagreement to the European Commission.

Brussels argued the roadmap was necessary to reduce the EU’s strategic vulnerability and speed up the transition to renewable energy.

However, countries with a higher dependency on Russian energy, like Slovakia, had raised alarms about the feasibility and consequences of such a move.

(Xinhua/NAN)