BRUSSELS: European Union lawmakers and member states reached a deal Wednesday (Dec 3) to ban all imports of Russian gas by autumn 2027, as the bloc seeks to choke off key funds feeding Moscow’s war chest.
The overnight accord aims to break a dependency the bloc has struggled to end despite the invasion of Ukraine, and marks a compromise between EU capitals and the European Parliament, which wanted the ban to hit sooner.
“We’ve made it: Europe is turning off the tap on Russian gas, forever,” EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen wrote on X.
“We’ve chosen energy security and independence for Europe. No more blackmail. No more market manipulation by Putin. We stand strong with Ukraine.”
Under the deal, long-term pipeline contracts – considered the most sensitive because they can run for decades – will be banned from Sep 30, 2027, provided storage levels are sufficient, and no later than Nov 1, 2027.
For liquefied natural gas (LNG), long-term contracts will be prohibited from Jan 1, 2027, in line with a call by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to tighten sanctions on Moscow.
Short-term contracts will be phased out earlier: from Apr 25, 2026 for LNG and Jun 17, 2026 for pipeline gas.
The move aims “to end dependency on Russian energy following Russia’s weaponisation of gas supplies with significant effects on the European energy market”, said a European Council statement.
The timeline must still get final approval from the European Parliament and member states.
European companies will be able to invoke “force majeure” to legally justify breaking existing contracts, citing the EU import ban.
