By November 2027, Russia will no longer import any additional gas from the EU.
On Wednesday, the “provisional agreement” between the European Council and the group of member states’ 27 governments was revealed.
The agreement advances efforts to end all energy imports into the bloc from Russia, which continue to give Moscow crucial funding to fuel its war on Ukraine, despite the fact that the parliament and some member states have requested earlier.
By the end of 2026, member states will no longer import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia as per the agreement. By November 2027, imports of pipeline gas will be discontinued.
Over the past four years, efforts to stop purchases have struggled because many member states are so heavily dependent on Russian energy. Before Moscow unleashed its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, the bloc’s overall reliance was close to 50%.
According to a statement from the European Council, the move “aims to end Russian energy dependence following Russia’s significant impact on the European energy market” regarding the weaponization of gas supplies.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, welcomed the announcement, saying: “Europe is finally shutting down the supply of Russian fossil fuels.” Now is the time to achieve energy independence.
“No more blackmail,” the message read.
EU leaders applauded the conclusion of the long-awaited agreement that would finally put an end to Russian gas imports. This required a compromise between the member states and the European Parliament regarding the cut-off date.
Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen declared, “We’ve chosen Europe for energy security and independence. Blackmail has stopped. No more Putin’s tyranny of the market. We support Ukraine with all of our strength.
Before the end of 2027, Russia will no longer import gas. Our proposed import ban was approved by @Europarl_EN and @EUCouncil.
Russia will never again be allowed to use its energy supply as a weapon, as we have stated in our letter.
Europe is currently pursuing independence.
Long-term pipeline contracts will be prohibited as of September 30th, 2027, provided storage levels are sufficient, and not later than November 1st, 2027, as per the agreement. By June 17th, 2026, short-term contracts will no longer be permitted.
Beginning January 1, 2027, long-term contracts on LNG will be exempt, with the end date of April 2026.
The European Parliament and the European Council have yet to give final approval to the timelines.
Invoking the EU import ban will allow European companies to use “force majeure” to legally justify breaking existing agreements.
Political challenges
The EU still relies heavily on Russian gas at this time, with the majority of its member states switching suppliers more logistically challenging than oil.
Russian gas was imported into the EU from a proportion of 45 percent in 2021, but it was still 19% in the previous year.
Russia continues to be a significant importer of LNG despite Europe’s reduced pipeline deliveries, accounting for 20% of imports in 2024, or roughly 20 billion cubic meters (US$), only trailing it (45%) behind.
However, there have also been political challenges.
Sanctions against Russian energy have long been opposed by Hungary and Slovakia, which are diplomatically closer to Moscow and import the most of it. They have also hampered EU efforts to pass them.
Additionally, the agreement calls for the European Commission to create a strategy to end the sanctions that prevent the two landlocked Central European nations from continuing to purchase Russian oil in the coming months.
Source: Aljazeera
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