As part of the agreed agreement, a "legally binding phased ban" on gas purchases from Russia is being introduced. A complete ban on the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will come into effect at the end of 2026, while pipeline gas will be banned from autumn 2027. As specified in the Council's statement, the restrictions will take effect six weeks after the new regulation is adopted, taking into account a transition period for existing contracts.
The import of short-term contracts concluded before June 17, 2025, will be limited from April 25, 2026, for LNG and from June 17, 2026, for pipeline gas. The ban on long-term contracts for LNG imports will take effect from January 1, 2027, as part of the 19th package of EU anti-Russian sanctions. Regarding long-term agreements for pipeline gas, the restriction will come into force on September 30, 2027 (no later than November 1, 2027), provided that European storage facilities are filled. Currently, "Gazprom" continues to supply gas to the EU through the only remaining pipeline out of five pre-war ones — via the "Turkish Stream".
Additionally, this document, which still needs to be approved by the European Council and the European Parliament, requires all EU countries to present national plans outlining measures for diversifying gas supplies and potential issues arising from the abandonment of Russian fuel.
The preliminary agreement also strengthens oversight by the European Commission, obliging member states to report on existing contracts for Russian gas within a month after the regulation comes into force.
According to EU representatives, this regulation is an important component of the REPowerEU initiative, aimed at reducing dependence on Russian energy resources, after Russia used gas supplies as a means of pressure, negatively impacting the energy market in Europe.
These measures are intended to help achieve the main goal — the creation of a "sustainable and independent energy market in the EU," which will ensure supply security for the union.
The proposals presented by the European Commission in June included a recommendation to completely abandon Russian gas by the end of 2027. In 2024, about 15% of LNG supplies to the EU will consist of Russian gas, and together with pipeline gas, Russia's share in imports will be 19%. By 2025, this share is expected to be around 13%, which is equivalent to more than 15 billion euros per year, according to EU Council data.
The text of the document does not mention special conditions for Hungary and Slovakia, which oppose the abandonment of Russian supplies. The initial version of the regulation proposed to switch their supplies to short-term contracts in 2027 and allow the purchase of pipeline gas under such deals until the end of that year. However, it was planned that this would only happen in the event of a ban on pipeline gas from February to April 2027, Bloomberg reported, citing a draft of the document.
It is likely that the deadline was moved to September to avoid exceptions to the general ban.
