The EU has finally agreed on a plan to stop importing Russian gas by 2027
- Author:
- Anastasiia Zaikova
- Date:
The European Union has finally agreed on a plan to stop importing Russian gas by 2027.
This is stated on the website of the Council of the European Union.
If the document is approved by the EU Council and the European Parliament, a complete ban on supplies will come into effect by the end of 2027. This will apply to both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Imports of Russian LNG will be banned from January 1, 2027. Pipeline gas supplies must cease no later than September 30, 2027, and under certain conditions, by November 1.
The EU will also introduce permits for gas supplies during the transition period and fines for violations. Due to the threat to the energy sector, countries may temporarily suspend the ban.
The EU and the rejection of Russian gas
In May 2022, the EU put forward the REPowerEU proposal — the European Commissionʼs plan to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2030 in response to Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In May 2025, the European Commission published a plan to completely abandon Russian energy sources. It included the following points:
- Complete cessation of Russian gas imports by the end of 2027. Russian gas will be better tracked on European markets, and new contracts with Russian suppliers will be banned, as will spot deals.
- The EU will impose new restrictions on Russiaʼs shadow fleet, which are oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions.
- Restrictions on new contracts involving Euratom for the supply of uranium, enriched uranium, and other nuclear materials from Russia.
Thanks to the REPowerEU plan, the EU has reduced its share of Russian gas imports from 45% to 19% since May 2022. But in 2024, Russian gas imports began to increase again.
In September of this year, Bloomberg and Reuters reported that the European Union plans to accelerate the phasing out of Russian liquefied natural gas in the 19th package of sanctions, which was approved on October 23.
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