Alina TEODORESCU
Opposition to EU Climate Policy Grows Among Member States with Close Ties to Russia
Last week, Slovakia Called for 4–5 Year Pause of the Carbon Market
27 January 2026
Last week, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for a temporary four- to five-year suspension of the European carbon market.
According to Fico’s letter, published on social media, one proposed way to curb exceptionally high electricity prices would be “to declare a four- to five-year moratorium on the application of the emissions trading mechanism.” He argued that such a move would “lead to a significant revival and boost to strategic industrial sectors.”
The proposal was first floated in early January following a bilateral meeting with his Czech counterpart. During a joint press conference, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also announced that he was drafting a letter urging a review of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).
In early December, Fico published another letter on social media, co-signed by the prime ministers of five other EU member states—Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Czechia, and Italy—calling for a “realistic climate policy” to safeguard European industry.
More recently, Slovakia’s foreign minister announced plans, together with his Hungarian counterpart, to challenge the EU’s plan to cut energy ties with Russia, arguing that the measure undermines their countries’ national interests.
“Hungary will take legal action before the Court of Justice of the EU as soon as the decision on REPowerEU is officially published. We will use every legal means to have it annulled,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote on social media on Monday. Slovakia’s Foreign Ministry also confirmed it would appeal the decision before the Court.
The reaction from both countries followed the formal adoption by EU ministers of a regulation to phase out Russian gas imports by late 2027. The measure was approved despite opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, with Bulgaria abstaining, after being passed by a reinforced qualified majority—rather than unanimity—requiring the support of at least 72% of Council members representing 65% of the EU’s population.
