Madyar warns Europe of long road to energy independence

It will take a long time for the European Union to achieve energy independence and ensure a stable supply of resources at affordable prices. This was stated by Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar during his visit to Germany.

According to the head of the Hungarian government, the abandonment of dependence on external suppliers cannot happen quickly. He compared the process to a marathon, stressing that European countries have a long and difficult way to go.

At the same time, Madyar urged the EU countries to continue diversifying the routes and sources of oil and gas supplies. The high cost of imported energy could deprive the European economy of its competitive advantages.

Earlier, the Hungarian Prime Minister announced his intention to gradually reduce purchases of Russian oil and gas, while recognizing the impossibility of quickly abandoning them.

The electoral program of the Tisa party, which won the parliamentary elections on April 12, contained a commitment to achieve an end to energy dependence on Russia by 2035.

Currently, a significant part of the oil is supplied to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline, and the republic receives natural gas through the Turkish Stream and its branches passing through the territory of Bulgaria and Serbia.

Budapest will also have to take into account the deadlines set by the European Union for the refusal of Russian energy resources. On September 18, Hungary’s Minister of Economy and Energy Istvan Kapitan announced that the country would be ready to stop using Russian gas by October 2027. Negotiations are underway with neighboring states and companies supplying liquefied natural gas.

According to the agreed EU restrictions, imports of Russian liquefied gas under long-term contracts should stop from January 1, 2027. Short-term contracts have been banned since April 2026. The complete cessation of purchases of Russian pipeline gas is envisaged until September 30, 2027, although for some countries it is allowed to extend the period until November 1 if difficulties arise with filling gas storage facilities.

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