Energy ministers meeting in Luxembourg approved a plan by the European Commission to phase out both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, subject to approval by the bloc’s parliament.
Lars Aagaard, energy minister of Denmark, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, called it a “crucial” step to make Europe energy independent.
The plan is part of a broader EU strategy to wean the bloc off Russian energy supplies.
“Although we have worked hard and pushed to get Russian gas and oil out of Europe in recent years, we are not there yet,” Aagaard said.
Read moreEU unveils long-promised plan to quit Russian gas by end-2027
The commission is in parallel pushing for LNG imports to be phased out one year earlier, by January 2027, as part of a new package of sanctions aimed at sapping Moscow’s war chest.
Getting around Hungary and Slovakia
Russia currently accounts for 12 percent of EU gas imports, down from 45 percent before its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Hungary, France and Belgium among the countries still receiving Russian gas.
The European Commission designed the proposals to be able to pass despite past opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, the two countries that still import Russian oil.
While sanctions need unanimous approval from the EU’s 27 member states, trade restrictions only require the backing of a weighted majority of 15 countries.
“The real impact of this regulation is that our safe supply of energy in Hungary is going to be killed,” Budapest’s top diplomat, Peter Szijjarto, told reporters.
His government says the landlocked country needs to import gas from Russia due to geographical constraints.
Under the proposal approved Monday, which is expected to win the support of the European Parliament, Russian gas imports under new contracts will be banned as of January 1, 2026.
Existing contracts will benefit from a transition period, with inflows under short-term contracts allowed until June 17 next year and those under long-term contracts until January 1, 2028.
Although gas imports from Russia via pipeline have fallen sharply since the invasion of Ukraine, several European countries have increased their purchases of Russian LNG transported by sea.
(FRANCE 24 and AFP, Reuters)
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