The EU Council and Parliament strike a deal on rules to phase out Russian gas imports

Today, the Council presidency and the European Parliament’s representatives reached a provisional agreement on the regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas. The regulation constitutes a central element of the EU's REPowerEU roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy․

The regulation introduces a legally binding, stepwise prohibition on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas imports from Russia, with a full ban from the end of 2026 and autumn 2027 respectively. It will contribute to the overarching goal of achieving a resilient and independent EU energy market, while preserving the EU's security of supply.

"This is a big win for us and for all of Europe. We have to put an end to EU’s dependence on Russian gas, and banning it in the EU permanently is a major step in the right direction" Lars Aagaard, Denmark’s minister for climate, energy and utilities said.

The co-legislators confirmed that imports of Russian pipeline gas and LNG will be prohibited from six weeks after entry into force of the regulation, while maintaining a transition period for existing contracts. In particular:

for short-term supply contracts concluded before 17 June 2025, the prohibition of Russian gas imports will apply from 25 April 2026 for LNG and 17 June 2026 for pipeline gas
for long-term contracts for LNG imports, the prohibition will apply from 1 January 2027, in line with the 19th sanctions package
as regards long-term contracts for pipeline gas imports, the prohibition will kick in on 30 September 2027, conditioned on the storage filling targets foreseen in the gas storage regulation being in line to be fulfilled, and at the latest on 1 November 2027.