EU leaders and the European Commission should evaluate the impact of the bloc’s Russia sanctions on individual member states, particularly in the context of the ongoing energy crisis, according to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s chief adviser.
“Sanctions are rational if they hurt Russia more than Europe, (…) but it should not be an automation,” Balázs Orbán, who’s unrelated to the Hungarian premier, told EURACTIV in an interview after the EU summit.
“EU leaders should sit down, the European Commission should create an analysis on the effects of the sanctions,” he added.
In an eleventh-hour decision, EU member states agreed on a compromise ninth sanctions package on Russia last week, which has been described as the weakest of the rounds so far.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had earlier called on the EU to withdraw all sanctions against Russia, and his officials have cited Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy for the country’s need to maintain closer ties with Moscow.
Results of a currently ongoing controversial national consultation, in which the Hungarian government asked citizens whether they agree or disagree with the government’s opposition to the EU sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, are expected in January, Orbán senior aide confirmed.
“Before we agree on the 10th or 11th package, we should sit down and have a serious discussion on the effects of sanctions,” Balázs Orbán said, adding this should be done by the next EU summit.
EU leaders are expected to meet again in early February for an extraordinary EU summit in Brussels to discuss migration in light of a surge in asylum seekers and the desire to see an EU-wide solution.
“Energy is a no-go zone for us,” Orbán’s chief adviser said, adding that Hungary will seek further derogations in areas where “sanctions are hurting Europe more than Russia”.
Hungary last week also blocked the addition of three Russian officials to the EU sanctions list over its invasion of Ukraine, including the country’s energy minister.
Asked about the rationale, Orbán’s chief adviser said it would be “simply unacceptable from the Hungarian energy security point of view”.
“We are negotiating with him on Hungarian energy, so how can we put him on the sanctions list?”
V4 relations
Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused the Polish and Hungarian governments, previously close allies, to take divergent paths.
Warsaw has been one of Kyiv’s strongest allies and advocates, often criticising Budapest’s aim to maintain good relations with Moscow and its opposition to some EU sanctions.
“After the war started, there was a cooling down period, but we are putting a lot of energy into rebuilding cooperation,” Balázs Orbán said when asked about the Polish frustration.
The prime ministers of the Visegrád Four countries — Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary — met last month to stress shared ties amid friction after fault lines appeared in the regional bloc over Hungary’s approach to the war in Ukraine.
The purpose of the Visegrád Four, to represent Central Europe, has not changed, Orbán’s chief adviser said.
[Edited by Alice Taylor]
Source: euractiv.com
