BRUSSELS: The European Union on Tuesday laid out its proposal to ban Russian gas imports by the end of 2027, ending decades of dependency that Brussels has struggled to sever following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The European Commission indicated last month it would seek to prohibit Russian gas imports under new contracts as of January 1, 2026 and imports under existing short-term contracts by June 17 next year.
All remaining imports would be banned by the end of 2027, the EU executive confirmed Tuesday.
“Russia has repeatedly attempted to blackmail us by weaponising its energy supplies. We have taken clear steps to turn off the tap and end the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe for good,“ said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
The plan uses trade and energy laws — rather than sanctions — to prohibit imports from Russia.
The move aims to bypass potential opposition from Slovakia and Hungary, which are diplomatically closer to the Kremlin and still import Russian gas via pipeline.
The proposal needs a green light from the European Council representing member states and the EU parliament.
While sanctions need unanimous approval from the EU’s 27 nations, trade restrictions only require the backing of a weighted majority of 15 countries.
The EU enacted a ban on Russian oil in late 2022 in response to the Ukraine invasion, and has since sought to wean itself off Russian gas as well.
Although gas imports via pipeline have fallen sharply, several European countries have increased their purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), transported by sea.
Russia supplied 19 percent of the bloc’s gas last year, EU data shows, down from 45 percent before the war.
Thirty-two billion cubic metres of the fuel entered the bloc via the TurkStream pipeline, and 20 billion cubic metres through liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments.
A senior official said it was likely that since some companies have entered supply contracts that run beyond 2027, the ban would result in a number of arbitrations.
But on Monday, EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen sought to reassure importers.
“Since this will be a prohibition, a ban, the companies will not get into legal problems. This is force majeure as if it had been a sanction,“ he told a press conference.
