Government Briefing: Ukraine’s Oil Transit Ban Will Not Remain Unanswered

After Thursday’s cabinet meeting, an extraordinary government press briefing was called for Friday morning. In addition to the usual participants – Gergely Gulyás, minister responsible for the Prime Minister’s Office, and Government Spokesperson Eszter Vitályos – the press event was also attended by EU Affairs Minister János Bóka.

“Ukraine is blackmailing Hungary and Slovakia, the countries that have consistently called for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks, by cutting off oil supplies,” Gergely Gulyás said at the beginning of the press briefing. As Lukoil is currently unable to supply Hungary, he said, Hungary cannot maintain its security of supply. “If the situation is not resolved, there could be a fuel shortage, we have to find a solution by September,” he said.

EU Affairs Minister János Bóka noted that relations between the EU and Ukraine were governed by the Association Agreement, several points of which Ukraine had violated.

In this case, member states have the right to initiate consultations within 3 days,”

the minister said.

If this does not lead to a result, juidical procedure could be launched, that would give rise to a number of possible responses, he added. Furthermore, the Hungarian government is also investigating whether Ukraine’s oil supply restrictions violate WTO (World Trade Organization) and energy charter rules.

The Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU that started on July 1, was also discussed at the government briefing. János Bóka noted that the first phase of Hungary’s rotating presidency had come to an end. He said that the last event before the summer break would take place on Monday, when the leaders of the European Parliament’s European Affairs Committees would meet in the in the Hungarian Parliament.

Among the achievements so far, the minister said that the ad hoc working group on security and defense had been made permanent, and that an agreement in principle had been reached on the 2025 EU budget, so that the European Parliament could start to work on the final version.

He also indicated that the next summit of the European Political Community will be held in Budapest on November 7, followed by an informal meeting of the European Council in the Hungarian capital the next day. The minister said that during the Hungarian presidency, six informal meetings of five bodies had been held in Brussels and Budapest. These meetings discussed strengthening competitiveness, artificial intelligence, electric vehicle production, preparations for the next climate summit, water management, cross-border pollution and the circular economy, as well as the challenges of the energy framework for 2030 and the potential of geothermal energy.

The participants also reviewed the political priorities in the area of justice and home affairs, where the aim is to adopt a five-year document,

he said. János Bóka added that the discussions also focused on more efficient access to data by border and asylum organizations.

During the formal meetings, agriculture ministers discussed the long-term viability of rural areas, finance ministers discussed the European Commission’s initiatives on excessive deficit procedures, while labor and social affairs ministers reviewed the challenges of labor shortages, the integration of people with disabilities into the labor market and the role of territorial cohesion in social inclusion.

The minister also informed the press that

the Committee on Immigration and Asylum had visited Szeged and Hungary’s southern border, while the EU’s directors for defense policy and the director-general for community cohesion had also held talks in the country.

Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Máthé Zoltán