The EU will ban Russian pipeline gas and LNG by 2027, granting emergency exceptions for Hungary and Slovakia.
Short-term LNG contracts signed before June 2025 will face bans from April 2026; pipeline contracts will follow in June 2026.
Long-term LNG contracts can continue until January 2027, and pipeline contracts until September 2027, possibly extended to November.
EU members accelerated diversification efforts after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, disrupting energy markets across the bloc.
EU dependence on Russian gas dropped from 45% pre-invasion to 13% in early 2025, but imports still reached €10 billion.
Political Tensions Over Exemptions
Most EU countries supported the ban to weaken Moscow’s war financing, but landlocked states worried about supply security and higher prices.
Parliament initially opposed exemptions but ultimately accepted them to break the deadlock with the Council.
Hungary and Slovakia plan to challenge the law, calling it a Brussels “diktat” and claiming it violates EU treaties.
The European Commission will only activate the emergency clause if gas reserves fall below 90% by November 1.
Member states must submit national plans by March 2026 outlining steps to end Russian gas and oil imports.
Europe Declares Energy Independence
The law also bans imports through TurkStream unless companies prove the gas only transited Russia or Belarus.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the agreement the start of Europe’s full energy independence from Russia.
Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen vowed never to return to dependence on Russian energy or risk market manipulation again.
Parliament negotiator Thomas Pellerin-Carlin said the law prevents Russian interference in energy markets and protects European jobs.
Energy ministers will vote on December 15, followed by a plenary vote in the European Parliament the same week.
