The European Union has begun informal discussions on the 19th package of anti-Russian sanctions. This was reported to “Izvestia“ by Czech MEP Tomasz Zdehovsky.
“Discussions on the 19th package are already underway, although they are at an early and informal stage. The main problem is sanctions fatigue - not political, but technical. After the 18th package, restrictions were imposed on most of the obvious objects of sanctions. "The main focus now is on tightening controls, expanding secondary restrictions and clarifying export and import controls," Zdechovsky said.
The 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions in the EU has not yet been agreed. Hungary and Slovakia will continue to fight against the European Commission's plan to ban oil and gas supplies from Russia to the EU until early 2028. They have linked their request to cancel the European Commission's initiative to the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. On June 23, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced that on that day, at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, he and his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blánár had blocked the approval of the 18th package and demanded that the Brussels energy plan be removed from the agenda.
Meanwhile, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico received proposals for guarantees for Slovakia regarding gas supplies from the EC in the event of a ban on its import into the EU from Russia, the Slovak news portal Pravda reported. They are tied to the republic's support for the 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions.
Fico has sent the EC's proposals to the leading political parties in the republic. According to the portal, he expects them to provide recommendations for developing a compromise with the EC in the near future.
The Prime Minister commented on the negotiations to find a solution for gas that would satisfy Slovakia with the proverb: “When you live with wolves, howl like a wolf“. Fico expressed a desire to quickly close “this sad chapter in the work of the EC“, but did not rule out the possibility that Slovakia would not vote for the 18th package of EU sanctions.
Fico and members of his government say that their priority in voting for new sanctions is the protection of national interests. The EC proposal to introduce a complete ban on Russian gas imports into the EU from January 1, 2028 is, as they note, unacceptable for Slovakia. The republic insists on guarantees that, if approved, it will continue to receive gas at reasonable prices and in the necessary volumes.