The Council of Ministers for Energy: Slovakia does not support REPowerEU measures
On Monday, October 20, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic, Denisa Saková, attended the Council of Ministers for Transport, Telecommunications and Energy in Luxembourg, where she represented Slovakia. The main topic at the meeting of ministers and representatives of EU member states at the Council was the implementation of the REPowerEU plan, which aims to ban imports of Russian pipeline and LNG gas into the EU from January 1, 2028, and to support the diversification of energy supplies from other sources. The meeting also focused on the energy security and resilience of Ukraine and Moldova, their integration into the EU energy market, and the electrification of industry as a key tool for green and digital transformation. As a Central European country, Slovakia did not support the proposed measures under the REPowerEU regulations.
„The REPowerEU regulation is an extremely sensitive issue for Slovakia – not only politically, but especially economically. There are two reasons for this: securing physical gas supplies and the impact on energy prices for our households and industry. That is why we could not support this proposal today. However, thanks to our intensive work and constructive cooperation with the European Commission, we have managed to ensure that Slovakia will be able to use its long-term contract for gas imports from Russia, under which transit fees are paid by the supplier, until January 1, 2028. Unfortunately, we were not able to push through our proposal for a so-called emergency brake, which would temporarily suspend the application of the regulation in the event of a sharp rise in prices. We also expect that financial support from European instruments will take into account the needs of the countries that will be most affected by this regulation. Slovakia has already submitted a specific proposal, and we believe that it will be considered during the negotiations. I also firmly believe that the European Parliament will be constructive in the upcoming negotiations with the Council and will not force an end to Russian gas imports before January 2028,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic, Denisa Saková.
The aim of the REPowerEU regulation proposed by the European Commission is to reduce dependence on Russian fuels. However, the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic has long been warning that such measures must be taken with regard to the realities of Central European countries, given that Slovakia is a landlocked country at the end of every transit route. Similarly, the European energy infrastructure is currently not ready, in terms of capacity, to fully replace Russian energy sources without a significant increase in natural gas prices for countries such as Slovakia.
Prior to the Council of Ministers meeting, a meeting of the Nuclear Alliance was also held, confirming that nuclear energy remains a key pillar of the energy security and climate policy of the EU. Several member states emphasized the need for a comprehensive dialogue and an action plan for the nuclear energy. In the addition to the need for investment in new sources, it is necessary to change legislative conditions for supporting nuclear energy in the areas of financing and licensing processes for the construction of new sources.
Minister D. Saková held several bilateral meetings with representatives of the governments of France, Croatia, Denmark and Poland. These meetings followed up on discussions on diversification options for gas and oil for Slovakia, which have the potential to contribute to solving the problem of high energy prices for our households and industry. In addition to its own consumption, Slovakia also secures strategic supplies of electricity and gas for Ukraine.
The Press Department of MoE SR