The Council of the European Union today gave its final approval at the beginning of 2027 and demands a gradual reduction in purchases of gas pumped by gas pipeline until they are completely eliminated in autumn 2027. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is the reason why Brussels punishes Moscow, began on February 24, 2022, that is, three years and 11 months ago.
“The EU energy market will be stronger, more resilient and more diversified. We are weaning ourselves from a harmful dependence on Russian gas and taking an important step, in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation, towards an autonomous Energy Union,” said Cyprus Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry Michael Damianos on behalf of the incumbent Council Presidency.
The regulation, which has already been approved by the European Parliament with 500 votes in favor, 120 against and 32 abstentions, vetoes the signing of new Russian LNG purchase contracts six weeks after the regulations come into force with their publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
In this Monday’s vote, Hungary and Slovakia voted against, while Bulgaria abstained and the other 24 Member States voted in favor. Budapest goes further and has announced that it will demand final approval from him. “This regulation has been prepared through a great legal fraud, since, in essence, it would be a sanction that would have required a unanimous decision,” said Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in a statement. There is a reason why its prime minister, , is the Kremlin’s greatest remaining ally in the community club.
The conditions
“Existing contracts will have a transitional period. This gradual approach will limit the impact on prices and markets. The total ban will come into force for LNG imports from the beginning of 2027 and for gas imports by gas pipeline from autumn 2027,” said the Council, which also detailed the steps to be followed to prevent this type of purchases:
- Before allowing gas imports to enter the Union, EU countries will verify the country in which the gas was produced.
- Non-compliance with the new rules may lead to maximum penalties of at least €2.5 million for natural persons and at least €40 million for companies, or at least 3.5% of the company’s total global annual turnover, or 300% of the estimated turnover of the transaction.
- By 1 March 2026, EU countries will have to draw up national plans to diversify gas supplies and identify potential challenges in substituting Russian gas, while companies will be required to notify authorities and the Commission of any remaining Russian gas contracts.
- EU countries that continue to import Russian oil must also present diversification plans, an exception that temporarily affects Hungary and Slovakia and that Brussels wants to conclude before the end of 2027.
- In the event of an emergency being declared and if security of supply is seriously threatened in one or more EU countries, the Commission may suspend the import ban for a maximum period of four weeks.
The data
According to figures from the Community Executive, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, purchases of Russian oil have gone from 26 to 2% of the total consumed in the EU and coal, from 51% to zero.
But the gas continues to flow and the community bloc delivered more than 15 billion euros to Russia in 2025 in exchange for 13% of the European Union’s gas imports, essentially in the form of LNG transported by ship. “This leaves the EU exposed to significant risks in terms of trade and energy security,” the Council stressed in a statement.
The EU plan to accelerate the disconnection from Russian hydrocarbons shortened the deadlines compared to the Commission’s original proposal and came to light amid intense pressure from the United States for the European Union to acquire American LNG instead of Russian.
Coinciding with the approval of the regulations in the Council, the environmental organization Greenpeace organized a protest in the vicinity of the building “against the EU’s plans to limit itself to replacing Russian gas with gas from the United States.”
The activists inflated a large balloon in the shape of a ship loaded with fossil fuels and topped with the heads of the president of Russia, , and his American counterpart, , to “symbolize Europe’s dependence on imports of fossil fuels from autocrats,” the NGO said in a statement.
“It is positive to see this long-awaited ban on Russian gas, and some of the temporary sanctions made more permanent, but the EU must not simply replace it with gas from other tyrants,” said Greenpeace head Thomas Gelin.
