The European Commission will offer legal measures next month to eliminate EU imports from all Russian and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027, he said on Tuesday.
The European Union has promised to put an end to its energy relations for several decades with the former Russian gas supplier after the large -scale invasion of Moscow Ukraine in 2022. The commission explained how it planned to do so in a “roadmap” published on Tuesday.
The EU executive will present a legal proposal in June to prohibit imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) within the framework of existing contracts by the end of 2027, he said.
The Commission will also propose in June a ban on imports of Russian gas within the framework of new transactions and existing cash contracts by the end of 2025.
“It is now time for Europe to completely cut its energy links with an unreliable supplier. And the energy that comes to our continent should not pay for a war of aggression against Ukraine,” said the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a press release.
A project of the EU roadmap has already been reported by Reuters.
The United States pushes Russia to a peace agreement with Ukraine, which, if reached, can reopen the Russian energy door and facilitate sanctions. But while the leaders of certain EU industries have reported support for a return to Russian gas, the EU continues with efforts to reduce energy links several decades with Moscow.
About 19% of European gas still comes from Russia, via the Turkstream pipeline and liquefied natural gas shipments – down approximately 45% before 2022.
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The European Commission reported its desire to buy more American LNG to replace Russian volumes, a step-president Donald Trump demanded as a means of reducing the commercial surplus of the EU with the United States.
The Commission did not specify the legal options it provides for to use to allow European companies to break their existing Russian gas contracts.
The new EU legislative proposals require the approval of the European Parliament and a reinforced majority of the EU countries.
The EU has imposed sanctions on Russian coal and most oil imports, but not on gasoline due to the opposition of Slovakia and Hungary, which receive supplies of Russian pipelines and say that going to alternatives would increase energy prices. Sanctions require unanimous approval of the 27 EU countries.
EU countries will have to produce national plans to eliminate Russian gas and oil in the case of Slovakia and Hungary, which are always more than 80% of their oil from Russia.
The global LNG offer is expected to remain tight this year, but with a new supply due to 2026 in countries such as the United States and Qatar, a global surplus is expected by 2030, the International Energy Agency said.
The Commission said its proposals, if they were implemented in parallel with the developments of the world market, should limit any impact that Russian gas screening has on European energy prices.
The EU also bets on renewable energies to reduce its overall use of fossil fuel.
European buyers still have “to take or pay” contracts with Gazprom, who require those who refuse gas deliveries to pay a large part of the contractual volumes.
Lawyers said it would be difficult to invoke “force majeure” to leave these transactions without exposing buyers to financial sanctions or arbitration.
The EU imported 32BCM of Russian gas via a pipeline and 20 BCM of Russian LNG last year. Overall, two thirds of this offer are under long -term contracts, while a third party is “punctual” purchases not attacked.
The Commission will also offer measures next month targeting Russian enriched uranium, including restrictions on new supply contracts co-signed by the Euratom supply agency, he said.
