The European Commission proposed yesterday a legally binding ban on imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the EU by the end of 2027, using legal mechanisms to ensure that the plan cannot be blocked by EU members such as Hungary and Slovakia.
The proposal, according to Reuters, defines how the European Union plans to legally enforce its promise, made after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, to end decades of energy relations with its former main gas supplier.
First, imports would be banned from January 1, 2026, for all new Russian gas pipeline supply contracts and LNG contracts signed during the rest of this year.
Imports under short-term Russian gas contracts - defined as contracts of less than one year - would then be banned if they were signed before June 17, 2025, with the ban coming into effect on June 17 of the following year.
Finally, imports under existing long-term Russian contracts would be banned from January 1, 2028, effectively ending the use of Russian gas in the EU by that date, according to the Commission.
Hungary and Slovakia, which still import Russian gas via pipeline and oppose this EU plan, would have until January 1, 2028, to end such imports, including those under short-term contracts.
The Commission based its proposal for a ban on EU trade and energy laws - a legal basis that can be adopted by a qualified majority of member states and a majority in the European Parliament.
Companies such as TotalEnergies and Spain's Naturgy have contracts to purchase Russian LNG that run until the 2030s, the British agency reminds.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in the EU will be gradually banned from providing services to Russian clients, and companies importing Russian gas will have to provide information about their contracts to EU institutions and national authorities, according to Reuters.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Monday that the measures were designed to be legally strong enough to allow companies to invoke a “force majeure” clause - an unforeseeable event - to terminate Russian gas contracts.
Slovakia and Hungary, which seek to maintain close political relations with Russia, argue that switching to alternative sources would increase energy prices. They have pledged to block sanctions on Russian energy products, as their adoption in the EU requires unanimous consent of all member states, and oppose the ban.
To circumvent this veto, the Commission based the ban proposal on EU trade and energy laws - a legal basis that can be adopted by a qualified majority of member states and a majority in the European Parliament.
Around 19% of the gas Europe currently uses still comes from Russia, via the TurkStream pipeline and LNG deliveries, a significant drop from around 45% before 2022.
To compensate for Russian supplies, the EU has announced the expansion of renewable energy capacity and the possibility of importing larger quantities of American LNG.
Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and France import Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), but all expressed full support for the ban, stressing that it must be legally strong enough to protect companies from fines or arbitration, EU diplomats told Reuters. The lawyers said it would be difficult to completely eliminate the risk to companies unless the EU implements a sanctions regime.
"Arbitration is possible. We expect that some of the contractual partners... might try to go to court," said a Commission official.
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