BRUSSELS, May 24, 2022 (AFP) – Leaders attending the European summit scheduled for next week are unlikely to discuss a Russian oil embargo, as it is “very unlikely” that Hungary will give up its opposition, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said in a letter. which AFP has access to.
In a letter to Council President Charles Michel, Orban wrote: “Given the seriousness of the remaining problems, it is unlikely that a full solution will be found before the special meeting of the European Council from 30-31 May.”
“I believe it would be unproductive to discuss the sanctions package at the leaders’ level without consensus,” the Hungarian leader said in a letter on Monday.
This Tuesday, it declared a new national emergency, citing the need to face the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
The European Commission has proposed a sixth package of sanctions for the war in Ukraine, which envisions a full and gradual embargo on Russian oil to Russia, but the idea was blocked by the Hungarian opposition, who said such a measure threatened energy security. .
The commission’s plan has even considered the possibility of giving Hungary more time to adapt its infrastructure to live without Russian oil, but Orban’s government does not accept the guarantees offered.
Against this backdrop, heated negotiations were launched to persuade Hungary to abide by the idea of the embargo, but Orban’s letter shows that a final agreement is still far away.
In his letter to Michel, Orban recalled that European leaders agreed at a summit in Versailles in March to begin the march towards European independence from hydrocarbons from Russia.
However, Orban said, “The Commission’s proposal in its current form goes far beyond the consensus reached at Versailles.”
If the proposed sanctions are passed, they will “immediately cause major supply problems in Hungary and undermine our vital security interests,” he said.
Hungary is not in a position to accept the 6th package of sanctions until the negotiations succeed in resolving the outstanding issues.
In an interview this Tuesday, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen expressed hope of gaining support for the oil embargo in “a few days”.
France currently holds the EU presidency. An official from President Emmanuel Macron’s office told the media there was still time to overturn Hungary’s effective veto on the sanctions package before the leaders’ meeting on Monday. “There are different options on the table,” he said.
source: Noticias
