Latest news with #Fico
Novaya Gazeta Europe
11 hours ago
- Business
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
EU renews sanctions against Russia but fails to pass new package after Slovakia veto — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Flags of the European Union in front of a building at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 2 April 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK EU leaders gathered in Brussels have agreed to renew existing sanctions against Russia for another six months, Reuters reported on Thursday, though they failed to pass a new raft of sanctions after Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico made clear he would veto such a proposal. The decision means that the proposed 18th package of sanctions, which would further target Russia's energy and finance sector and the so-called 'shadow fleet' of tankers used to bypass the G7 price cap on Russian oil exports, will have to be agreed upon at a later date. On Thursday, Fico said he would not agree to a new sanctions package until Slovak concerns over gas supplies are resolved. According to Reuters, Fico believes that further sanctions against Russia will lead to supply issues and legal issues for Slovakia concerning its existing long-term contract with Russian gas company Gazprom. In mid-June, the European Commission unveiled a legislative proposal, according to which EU countries would be required to phase out the import of Russian energy by 2027, part of Brussels' RePowerEU plan aimed at ending the EU's dependency on Russian fossil fuels. 'Russia has repeatedly attempted to blackmail us by weaponising its energy supplies. We have taken clear steps to turn off the tap and end the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe for good,' Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said when introducing the initiative on 17 June. Commenting on Slovakia's opposition, Polish Minister for European Affairs Adam Szłapka said at the summit that he hoped Bratislava's support could be secured: 'As with the previous sanction packages, I am optimistic here; we are working on it,' he said. 'I hope that it will be possible to close it by the end of Poland's [EU] presidency, and as we know, there are four days left.' Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has imposed punitive sanctions against over 2,400 Russian companies, politicians, military figures, and business people. The EU's sanctions must be renewed every six months and require unanimous agreement from all 27 member states. The EU's existing sanctions were set to expire on 31 July. With the latest deal, they will now remain in effect until 31 December. Also on Thursday, the European Council, which is holding a special summit in Brussels this week, failed to adopt a unanimous statement of support for Ukraine's accession to the EU after Hungary refused to endorse the measure. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who organised a widely criticised opinion poll in his country in which 95% of respondents rejected the prospect of Ukraine's EU accession, says he will continue to oppose the process.
Euronews
17 hours ago
- Business
- Euronews
Why did Fico veto the new EU sanctions on Russia? Money is key
A new veto has landed in Brussels. Robert Fico, Slovakia's prime minister, confirmed on Thursday that he would continue to vote down the next package of sanctions that the European Union wants to impose on Russia in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With sanctions subject to unanimity rules, Fico's decision makes it impossible to approve the proposal, which is considered ready to go after diplomats spent the last day polishing the technical details in anticipation of a formal endorsement. Interestingly, Fico's opposition has nothing to do with the sanctions themselves. It relates to an entirely different matter: the so-called REPowerEU roadmap. The roadmap envisions a phase-out of all imports of Russian fossil fuels, including pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), by the end of 2027. The European Commission unveiled the roadmap in May and presented the draft legislation in June, based on gradual bans on short-term and long-term gas contracts. "Russia has repeatedly attempted to blackmail us by weaponising its energy supplies," said Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission president. "We have taken clear steps to turn off the tap and end the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe for good." As a landlocked country with entrenched ties to Russian fuels, Slovakia immediately – and vociferously – protested the phase-out, warning it would raise prices and endanger competitiveness. Hungary, which is in a similar situation, joined the resistance. A hot point of contention has been the Commission's strategy to frame the proposal as trade and energy policy, meaning it will only need a qualified majority to pass through. Until now, the executive had chosen sanctions, a foreign policy tool, as the go-to option to remove imports of Russian fuels, such as coal and oil. Hungary and Slovakia were exempted from the permanent ban on Russian crude oil. As sanctions on gas remain elusive due to long-standing disagreements among capitals, the Commission took matters into its own hands and envisioned a creative workaround to ensure the prohibition on Russian gas eventually sees the light of day. The trick infuriated Slovakia, which resorted to vetoing the 18th package of sanctions as a last-ditch effort to extract the concessions that it would otherwise not get. The colour of money Fico confirmed his veto after holding a bilateral meeting with von der Leyen on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels. In the days leading up to the summit, officials in the Commission had sounded optimistic that a compromise of sorts would be reached and the 18th package of sanctions would sail away before the end of the month. But then, the Slovak put his foot down. In a video message posted on his Facebook account in the middle of the summit, Fico aired an extensive list of grievances and reservations regarding the phase-out, indicating he was open to a deal with von der Leyen but at a higher-than-expected price. "It's unfortunate that we are heading down this road, as this is clearly an ideological proposal," he said. "This will harm us, unless an agreement is reached with the European Commission that would compensate us for all the damage this proposal might cause." The leader name-checked five issues that he wants to address and, ideally, resolve: "Therefore, this issue must be resolved first," Fico said at the end of the video. "Let's define the solution, and only then can we discuss further sanctions packages. If our proposal to postpone the vote is not accommodated, the Slovak ambassador will receive a clear instruction to veto the adoption of the 18th sanctions package." Fico noted he would engage in "constructive negotiations", with a "special mission" led by the Commission scheduled to travel to Slovakia next week. It is far from clear how von der Leyen's team would manage to accommodate his needs, which appear to be worth billions in euros. The bloc's multi-annual budget is strained and has limited space to cope with unforeseen circumstances or, in this case, demands. The proposed phase-out does not feature a dedicated envelope of EU funds. Von der Leyen did not address the thorny subject in her press conference at the end of the summit, and the Commission did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Officials had previously insisted the phase-out would not produce a steep rise in consumer prices because the bloc's transition away from Russian fuels is already well underway, with greater diversification from Norway, the US, Algeria, Qatar, Azerbaijan and the UK, as well as faster deployment of homegrown green energy. "We can, indeed, make sure that this transition will happen in a way that it does not lead to an increase in prices and certainly not to a situation of supply issues for these countries," Dan Jørgensen, the European Commissioner for Energy, said in June. Jørgensen also stressed that the bans foreseen under the phase-out would be solid enough to declare force majeure – that is, events or circumstances that go beyond the control of the signatories – and protect clients against eye-popping damages. "We've deliberately formulated this legislation and used the legal basis which makes it a prohibition and thereby a force majeure situation for the companies in question," he said. "That means they are not legally liable. It's not them that's breaking up a contract." The reasoning has not entirely convinced experts, who argue traditional foreign-policy sanctions are the most bulletproof method to defy lawsuits in court.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Fico Blasts EU ‘For Liking War,' Vetoes Russia Sanctions
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico strongly criticized the EU's proposed 18th sanctions package on Russia, calling previous sanctions ineffective. Speaking in Bratislava, Fico questioned how many more sanctions would be needed before realizing they don't work. He contrasted the EU's approach to Ukraine with its diplomatic pressure in the Iran-Israel conflict, expressing frustration that similar ceasefire efforts weren't made for Ukraine. Fico also denounced bans on Russian officials, calling them meaningless. Slovakia and Hungary jointly blocked the sanctions, opposing the EU's plan to phase out Russian energy by 2027, once again highlighting growing divisions within the bloc.#EUSanctions #RussiaSanctions #EUPolitics #Slovakia #Hungary #Fico #UkraineWar #UkraineConflict #CeasefireNow #PeaceForUkraine Read More
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Slovaks veto Russia sanctions at EU Council
BRUSSELS — Thursday's EU Council summit suffered a huge setback after Robert Fico, Slovakia's prime minister, announced he would maintain his veto on the next round of sanctions against Russia, which diplomats hoped to approve on Friday. Fico's opposition involves a separate matter: the European Commission's proposed phase-out of Russian fossil fuels, including oil and gas, which Slovakia, as well as Hungary, continues to be dependent on. Fico met with Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday morning to discuss his reservations, including his fear that Gazprom, Russia's gas monopoly, would file a billion-euro lawsuit if his country breaks up its long-term gas contract. The Commission, however, says the proposed bans would act as "force majeure" to avoid damages in court. But Fico did not seem convinced. "Therefore, this issue must be resolved first: let's define the solution, and only then can we discuss further sanctions packages," Fico said in a video message posted on his Facebook account shortly after 18.00 CET. "If our proposal to postpone the vote is not accommodated, the Slovak ambassador will receive a clear instruction to veto the adoption of the 18th sanctions package." Meanwhile, the 27 leaders agreed to disagree on what to do next with the review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which found "indications" that Israel had breached its human rights obligations with its actions in Gaza and the West Bank. The highly anticipated review was requested in May by a group of 17 countries. Thursday's summit was the first time that leaders discussed the findings face-to-face. But sharp divisions in the room, from Spain to Germany, prevented any specific outcome. Instead, leaders asked their foreign ministers to continue the internal process "as appropriate" when they meet in Brussels on 15 July. During that meeting, High Representative Kaja Kallas is expected to present potential follow-up options, even if none of them are likely to gather the necessary qualified majority to move forward. Exasperation is growing: Slovenia's prime minister raised the prospect of forming a coalition of the willing to put "real pressure" on Israel if the bloc failed to act as one. — Euronews
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Slovakia blocks agreement on new EU sanctions on Russia
Brussels: Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said Thursday at a European Union summit in Brussels that he is not ready to back a proposal for new sanctions on Russia, citing concerns over Slovakia's gas imports. The proposed 18th sanctions package, put forward by the European Commission, targets Russia's financial and energy sectors in response to President Vladimir Putin's refusal to agree to an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. Ahead of the EU summit, Fico had already threatened to veto the sanctions as he fears repercussions from a separate energy bill. Slovakia objects to the plans by Brussels to completely stop gas-supply contracts with Russia from the start of 2028. A meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to resolve the issue was 'very constructive and pragmatic,' Fico said in a video message posted on X, but did not find a solution. (DPA)
