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The EU introduced a long-awaited initiative to eliminate its remaining gas imports from Russia by the end of 2027, a significant challenge due to Europe's ongoing reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
"The European Union is sending a very clear signal to Russia today: we will not allow Russia to use energy as a weapon against us any longer," stated EU energy chief Dan Jorgensen while outlining the initiatives.
The European Commission's two-phase strategy aims to terminate new contracts and existing short-term spot contracts with Russian suppliers by the end of 2025, with all remaining imports banned by the end of 2027.
"No longer will we allow our member states to be held hostage. We will no longer indirectly contribute to the Kremlin's war efforts," Jorgensen emphasized at a news conference.
Last year, the EU enforced a ban on Russian oil following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and has since worked towards reducing its dependency on Russian gas.
While pipeline imports have dramatically decreased, several European nations have raised their purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivered by sea, and the bloc aims to stop these completely.
According to EU data, Russia currently provides 17.5 percent of the bloc’s gas supply, and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) reports figures as high as 19 percent.
To move away from Russian energy, "diversification is the key principle,” as stated by European Commission chief spokeswoman Paula Pinho last week.
Reducing reliance on Russian energy could enable Europe to increase its LNG purchases from the United States, an option both Brussels and Donald Trump have proposed to address the trade conflicts exacerbated by US tariffs on European exports.
EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic mentioned to the Financial Times that the disagreements with Washington could be swiftly resolved through LNG and soybean imports, which would help diminish the trade surplus between the 27-country bloc and the US.
As the largest supplier of LNG to the EU, the United States accounts for 45.3 percent of the market.
However, EU officials recognize that completely phasing out Russian energy is challenging, as dependency varies among member states. For instance, Hungary maintains a friendly relationship with the Kremlin, while France would face significant consequences from reducing Russian LNG imports due to its five receiving terminals in Europe.
France has reportedly increased its Russian LNG imports by 81 percent from 2023 to 2024, resulting in 2.68 billion euros ($3 billion) of income for Russia, according to IEEFA.
The commission’s plan, which still needs to be approved by member states, had been postponed as Brussels awaited outcomes from discussions between Russia and the United States regarding a potential resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
The EU has underscored its commitment to lessen dependence on Russian fossil fuels since the invasion in 2022.
"We’ve decreased our gas imports from Russia from 45 percent to 18 percent and reduced our oil imports from one out of five barrels to one out of fifty – a tenfold drop," remarked EU chief Ursula von der Leyen last month. Nevertheless, she acknowledged, "We all recognize that there is still much more work to be done."
