Serbia found itself in an “almost hopeless situation” after the decision of the European Union (EU) to phase out purchases of Russian gas. This was announced by the Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Djedovičová Handanovičová. TASR informs about it based on the reports of TASS and Tanjug agencies.
On Monday (October 20), the EU Council approved a gradual ban on all purchases of Russian gas effective January 1, 2028. The decision applies to both gas supplied by gas pipelines and liquefied natural gas. New gas supply contracts will be banned from 1 January 2026, with short-term contracts having to be completed by 17 June 2026 and long-term contracts will be valid until January 1, 2028.
The decision will also affect the transit of Russian gas through the territory of the EU to third countries. Bulgaria will not be able to transport Russian gas through the Balkan Stream gas pipeline to Serbia, the minister wrote on her Instagram page. Belgrade now hopes that President Aleksandar Vucic will do everything to resolve the current situation. “However, the situation is almost hopeless,” noted Djedovičová-Handanovićová.
The Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, Ana Brnabičová, described the EU Council’s decision as catastrophic, saying that she sees no way out of the current energy crisis. She also hopes that President Vucic “has a solution and some idea of how Serbia can solve all these problems and how the economy can survive,” she said.
