The ban on the import of Russian, which will be applied from January 1, 2028, was approved by the majority of member states during a meeting of European energy ministers in Luxembourg.
The measure, which will then be debated in the European Parliament, was proposed in the spring by the European Commission. Denmark, which holds the rotating presidency of the Union, hopes for its final adoption by the end of the year.
Opposite Slovakia and Hungary
Slovakia and Hungary, countries heavily dependent on Russian gas, abstained.
Stopping of Moscow in Ukraine.
The European Union is seeking to wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons from February 2022 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russian gas imports down but high
But while it has almost universally stopped importing Russian oil, it remains heavily dependent on Moscow for its natural gas supply: Russian gas accounted for 19% of total EU imports in 2024, up from 45% in 2021.
To speed up the process, at the end of 2027.
In September, it proposed a new deadline of the end of 2026 for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
However, this additional measure, proposed as part of the 19th package of new sanctions against Russia, was not on the menu of today’s ministerial meeting.
For its part, the European Parliament is seeking an even more advanced approach: the Industry and Trade committees on Thursday approved a text proposing a ban on all imports of Russian natural gas, either via pipelines or in the form of LNG from January 1, 2026, with limited exceptions.
