EU wants to end Russian gas imports by the end of 2027

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The European Commission wants to completely stop the remaining Russian gas imports into the EU by the end of 2027. It has now presented a corresponding timetable. This means that, at the latest five years after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, there will no longer be any dependence on Russian energy supplies.

Through its REPowerEU plan, the European Union has already reduced the share of Russian gas imports from 45 to 19 percent since May 2022. However, imports have recently increased again, even though the land-based transit route via pipelines in Ukraine has been discontinued and the Nordstream pipelines in the Baltic Sea were never reactivated. However, Russian gas supplies continue to reach Europe via a pipeline to Turkey and as cryogenic natural gas (LNG) by ship.

EU countries to present plans

This should now come to an end. The EU Commission has announced that there will also be a coordinated, gradual phase-out of oil and nuclear energy. The EU countries are to draw up national plans by the end of 2025 on how exactly they want to implement the phase-out. At the same time, the aim is to drive forward the energy transition across Europe.

In order to completely end Russian gas supplies, the EU plans to take measures to improve the traceability of Russian gas. New supplier contracts and spot purchases will also be prohibited from the end of 2025. Contracts extending beyond the end of 2027 may also no longer be serviced from 2028.

Some questions remain unanswered

However, there are still some unanswered questions. The Commission needs decisions from the European Parliament and the member states for some of its planned measures. So far, however, there is no unanimous position on the sanctions against Russia. There is also the threat of damage claims from energy companies. Some of their contracts stipulate that gas must be paid for even if it can no longer be supplied.

In the oil sector, the EU is planning to take decisive action against the Russian shadow fleet of tankers, which are used to circumvent EU sanctions. Military surveillance is planned for this purpose. In the nuclear energy sector, new supply contracts for the procurement of fuel are also to be restricted. With the help of tariffs, nuclear power plant operators are to be persuaded to purchase fuel rods from other supplier countries.

Hardly any impact on energy prices feared

The Commission does not expect any impact on energy prices, or only to a limited extent. The security of supply in the member states is also considered to be well prepared based on the experience of recent years. On the contrary, risks are seen in becoming dependent on Russia and its supplies. In addition, the payments have filled Moscow's war chest. Since February 2022, more money has been paid for Russian energy than has gone to Ukraine in aid, said EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen.

(mki)