Thu Sep 19 04:49:33 UTC 2024: ## Hungary Criticizes EU for Lack of Support in Diversifying Away from Russian Gas

**Houston, September 18** – Hungary’s energy security chief, Csaba Marosvari, has accused the European Union of failing to provide sufficient support to smaller, landlocked countries like Hungary in their efforts to reduce reliance on Russian natural gas.

Speaking at the Gastech conference in Houston, Marosvari highlighted the challenges faced by countries like Hungary, which currently receives two-thirds of its gas imports from Russia. Despite growing pressure to diversify following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Hungary argues that the EU’s focus on funding green energy projects has left them shortchanged in their attempts to secure alternative sources.

“We received stronger and stronger pressure to diversify faster away from Russian fuels, but they deny the funds to be able to do that,” Marosvari said.

While the EU has significantly reduced its reliance on Russian gas since the start of the war, Hungary’s imports remain unchanged. The country has continued to receive gas from Russia through various pipelines, including the TurkStream pipeline, which runs under the Black Sea to Turkey and then onward to Serbia and Hungary.

Hungary has taken some steps towards diversification, including signing short-term LNG deals with Azerbaijan and Turkey. The country also expects Turkey and Greece to play a more significant role as suppliers of pipeline gas and LNG in the future.

However, Marosvari emphasized the need for greater EU support to enable Hungary and other smaller nations to fully transition away from Russian gas. He noted that the costs associated with infrastructure upgrades and alternative energy projects are substantial and difficult to finance on their own.

“In our region there are small countries, small markets, few significant market players, lack of capital, these kinds of infrastructure and de-bottlenecking projects can cost up to hundreds of millions of euros – in fuel market terms it is not feasible to fulfill,” Marosvari said.

The Hungarian government’s stance highlights the ongoing challenges faced by some European countries in their attempts to reduce reliance on Russian energy. While the EU has made significant progress in diversifying its energy sources, the need for increased support for smaller and more vulnerable member states remains a key concern.

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