MEPs and EU member states (except Hungary, which will appeal) have reached an agreement to ban all Russian gas imports into the European Union from autumn 2027 .
This is a compromise between the European Parliament, which wanted a quicker ban, and the member states, which wanted to take a little more time.
The measure
For gas pipelines, the ban on long-term contracts, the most sensitive because they sometimes last decades, will come into force on September 30, 2027, provided that supplies are sufficient, and will apply no later than November 1, 2027. For liquefied natural gas (LNG), the ban on long-term contracts will apply from January 1, 2027, in accordance with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's announcements to impose sanctions on Russia. Regarding short-term contracts, the ban will apply from April 25, 2026, for liquefied natural gas and from June 17, 2026, for gas transported via pipeline.
This timetable will still require final approval by the Member States and Parliament, but the agreement paves the way for a vote without suspense. European companies will be able to invoke "force majeure" to legally justify such contractual breaches, citing the EU import ban. The share of Russian gas in EU gas imports has already fallen from 45% in 2021 to 19% in 2024.
«Historic day»
"Today is a historic day for the European Union: many thought it wouldn't be possible, but today it happened. I always knew we could do it. Now we are ready to open collaborations with new, reliable partners. This is just the beginning of a true European success story," commented European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"Today," he added, "we enter the era of Europe's full energy independence from Russia. REPowerEU has borne fruit. It protected us from the worst energy crisis in decades and helped us transition away from Russian fossil fuels at record speed. Today, we are definitively halting these imports. As Putin's treasury dwindles, we stand in solidarity with Ukraine and seek new partnerships and energy opportunities for the sector."
