Croatian Economy Minister Ante Susnjar has addressed comments by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who argued that the JANAF oil pipeline cannot fully meet the oil needs of Hungary and Slovakia.
Susnjar emphasized that Croatia remains committed to supporting its neighbors, noting that all available capacities for crude oil transport and liquefied natural gas deliveries have been offered. He highlighted significant investments in Croatia’s energy infrastructure aimed at benefiting both the domestic market and regional partners, including Slovenia and Hungary.
According to the minister, as more sections of the pipeline system come online, transport costs will fall. He said Croatia has sufficient capacity to meet regional demand, pointing out that Hungary’s two MOL-owned refineries can process about 13 million tons of crude annually, and that JANAF can transport this volume to its destinations.
Szijjarto, however, maintains that JANAF’s capacity is still below the combined oil demand of Hungary and Slovakia. He noted that both JANAF and the Druzhba pipeline supply the two countries, with Slovakia receiving crude either directly from Druzhba or via Hungary through JANAF. He warned that a prolonged disruption of Druzhba flows would severely impact supply to both countries, not due to political issues but because of infrastructure limitations.
