EU agrees to completely end Russian gas imports

TALLINN - According to a provisional political agreement reached on Wednesday between the European Parliament and the Council, the European Union will permanently cease importing Russian gas and gradually move towards ending oil imports.

This historic decision will end the EU's dependence on Russia, an unreliable supplier that has repeatedly destabilized European energy markets, endangered security of supply through energy blackmail, and damaged the European economy. Phasing out Russian fossil fuels is a crucial step towards ensuring Europe's energy independence, competitiveness, resilience, and market stability.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Wednesday marks the beginning of an era of complete energy independence for Europe from Russia. "The EU's REPowerEU plan has been realized. It has protected us through the most severe energy crisis in decades and helped us transition away from Russian fossil fuels at record speed. Today, we are ending these imports permanently. By limiting Putin's war chest, we stand in solidarity with Ukraine and look towards new energy partnerships and opportunities."

Wednesday's agreement ensures a gradual but permanent cessation of Russian gas imports, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports to be phased out by December 31, 2026, and pipeline gas imports by September 30, 2027. In exceptional cases, member states may extend this deadline to October 31, 2027, if their storage levels are below the required capacity.

For short-term supply contracts concluded before June 17, 2025, the ban on Russian gas imports will apply to liquefied natural gas from April 25, 2026, and to pipeline gas from June 17, 2026.

For long-term liquefied natural gas import contracts concluded before June 17, 2025, the ban will take effect on January 1, 2027, in accordance with the 19th sanctions package.

Pipeline gas imports under long-term contracts will be permitted only until September 30, 2027. If member states have difficulty achieving the required storage levels, the ban on pipeline gas imports will apply from November 1, 2027.

Amendments to existing contracts are permitted only for narrowly defined operational purposes and must not lead to an increase in volumes or prices.

By November 2027 at the latest, the EU will have fully phased out all Russian gas imports.

The political agreement includes strong safeguards against circumvention, supplementing the existing customs control and supervision framework. Provisions to enhance transparency, monitoring, and traceability of Russian gas movements within EU markets will support the effective implementation of the import ban.

For Russian gas imported during the transition period, highly detailed information must be submitted to obtain prior authorization, ensuring that imports are limited to volumes based on existing contracts. For gas imports from countries other than Russia, importers must provide information on the country of origin. Countries exempted from customs duties include exporters who supplied the EU with 5 billion cubic meters in 2024 and have either imposed sanctions or lack the infrastructure to import gas.

The text of the political agreement must be translated into all EU languages and then formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council. This requires a qualified majority in the Council. Following its formal adoption, the text will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.