Central Europe plans oil pipeline overhaul to cut Russian dependence

Slovakia and the Czech Republic are exploring a significant engineering project to reconstruct the "Friendship" oil pipeline, a move that could enable the Czech Republic to supply oil to Slovakia. This initiative is part of a broader European Union strategy to phase out all energy imports from Russia by the end of 2027.

The "Friendship" pipeline, which currently supplies both Slovakia and Hungary with Russian oil, represents one of the last remaining direct energy links to Russia for these EU member states. While other EU nations import Russian liquefied natural gas via sea routes, Slovakia and Hungary remain directly dependent on pipeline imports. The proposed reconstruction, though complex and estimated to take at least a year, is being actively considered by the Czech Republic.

This effort underscores the EU's commitment to energy diversification and independence from Russian fossil fuels. The bloc's ambitious goal of ending Russian energy procurement by 2027 necessitates such strategic infrastructure adjustments. Looking beyond 2028, the potential integration of resources from Azerbaijan and the continued reliability of Ukraine as a transit hub are being identified as key components of Europe's future energy security strategy.