Jul 28, 2025
EU legislators focus on accelerating the elimination of Russian gas.
The European Parliament is reviewing proposals to accelerate the EU's exit from Russian gas by one year, targeting January 2027, according to documents obtained by Reuters, as Brussels officials prepare to negotiate a legally-binding ban.
EU member states and lawmakers are getting ready to discuss a plan aimed at prohibiting imports of Russian gas, starting from a legal proposal made by the European Commission last month, which intends to eliminate all Russian gas imports by January 1, 2028.
The lead lawmakers on the gas ban have suggested moving this deadline to January 1, 2027, as detailed in their proposed amendments to the Commission's proposal.
The suggestions come from EU lawmakers Inese Vaidere of the European People's Party and Ville Niinisto of the Greens.
Diplomats indicate that it is improbable governments will agree to advance the Russian gas ban by a year; however, EU lawmakers could leverage this demand to negotiate other changes.
For instance, Vaidere has suggested penalties for companies that breach the ban, potentially including revoking energy trading licenses. Niinisto is advocating for a complete ban on Russian oil imports starting January 1, 2027, which was not included in the European Commission's proposal.
The European Parliament is set to vote in the autumn to establish its stance for negotiations with EU countries regarding the ban.
The final measures will require approval from both the Parliament and a qualified majority of EU countries, meaning Hungary and Slovakia—who still import Russian gas via pipeline and oppose the plans—cannot block the decision.
The EU committed to ending its long-standing energy ties with Russia, its former top gas supplier, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Under the suggested ban, the EU would begin phasing out Russian gas imports through new and short-term contracts starting in January 2026.
Last year, approximately 19% of Europe's gas originated from Russia through the TurkStream pipeline and LNG shipments. This figure is expected to decrease to 13% by 2025, down from roughly 45% before 2022.
EU member states and lawmakers are getting ready to discuss a plan aimed at prohibiting imports of Russian gas, starting from a legal proposal made by the European Commission last month, which intends to eliminate all Russian gas imports by January 1, 2028.
The lead lawmakers on the gas ban have suggested moving this deadline to January 1, 2027, as detailed in their proposed amendments to the Commission's proposal.
The suggestions come from EU lawmakers Inese Vaidere of the European People's Party and Ville Niinisto of the Greens.
Diplomats indicate that it is improbable governments will agree to advance the Russian gas ban by a year; however, EU lawmakers could leverage this demand to negotiate other changes.
For instance, Vaidere has suggested penalties for companies that breach the ban, potentially including revoking energy trading licenses. Niinisto is advocating for a complete ban on Russian oil imports starting January 1, 2027, which was not included in the European Commission's proposal.
The European Parliament is set to vote in the autumn to establish its stance for negotiations with EU countries regarding the ban.
The final measures will require approval from both the Parliament and a qualified majority of EU countries, meaning Hungary and Slovakia—who still import Russian gas via pipeline and oppose the plans—cannot block the decision.
The EU committed to ending its long-standing energy ties with Russia, its former top gas supplier, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Under the suggested ban, the EU would begin phasing out Russian gas imports through new and short-term contracts starting in January 2026.
Last year, approximately 19% of Europe's gas originated from Russia through the TurkStream pipeline and LNG shipments. This figure is expected to decrease to 13% by 2025, down from roughly 45% before 2022.