Brussels
Reuters
—
The European Union consented Wednesday to gradually cease Russian natural gas imports by late 2027 as part of a drive to end the bloc’s decade-long reliance on Russian energy.
Delegates for EU governments and the European Parliament reached a deal in the early hours of Wednesday on suggestions put forward by the European Commission in June to terminate shipments from the EU’s former principal gas provider following Russia’s incursion into Ukraine in 2022.
Under the accord, the EU will definitively stop the import of Russian gas and move toward a phase-out of Russian petroleum. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports will be phased out by the close of 2026 and pipeline gas by the end of September 2027.
“Today, we are halting these imports permanently,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, stated in a release. “By draining Putin’s war fund, we show solidarity with Ukraine and focus on new energy alliances and possibilities for the sector.”
For brief-term agreements finalized before June 17 this year, the ban will take effect from April 25, 2026, for LNG and from June 17, 2026, for pipeline gas.
For extended-term agreements finalized before June 17, the cutoff periods will be the beginning of 2027 and the beginning of October 2026, with a potential one-month postponement for EU nations encountering troubles attaining necessary storage volumes.
As of October, Russia represented 12% of EU gas imports, down from 45% prior to its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Hungary, France and Belgium among the nations still receiving supplies.
The European Commission is also dedicated to phasing out remaining oil imports from Russia by the end of 2027, with a legislative suggestion to be unveiled early next year.
Under Wednesday’s arrangement, EU members will submit “national diversification blueprints” concerning oil and gas supplies to the commission by March 1, and will be obligated to inform the EU executive whether they possess Russian gas supply agreements or domestic prohibitions established.
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