New Rules to Eliminate Russian Gas from Europe by 2027

The Council and the European Parliament have announced that they have reached an agreement on rules to phase out Russian gas imports for an energy-secure and independent Europe.

The new regulation is a central element of the European Union’s REPowerEU roadmap to end dependence on Russian energy following Russia’s weaponization of gas supplies, which has had a significant impact on the European energy market, according to a statement posted by the Council of Europe.

The regulation introduces a gradual, legally binding ban on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas imports from Russia, with a total ban from the end of 2026 and autumn 2027, respectively. This will contribute to the overall objective of achieving a resilient and independent EU energy market, while maintaining the security of EU gas supply.

“This is a big win for us and for all of Europe. We have to put an end to EU’s dependence on Russian gas and banning it in the EU permanently is a major step in the right direction. I am very pleased and proud that we have been able to reach an agreement with the European Parliament so quickly. It shows that we are committed to strengthening our security and safeguarding our energy supply,” said Lars Aagaard, Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities.

 

Main elements of the agreement

Transition phase for existing supply contracts

The co-legislators confirmed that imports of Russian pipeline gas and LNG will be prohibited from six weeks after entry into force of the regulation, while maintaining a transition period for existing contracts. In particular:

• For short-term supply contracts concluded before June 17, 2025, the prohibition of Russian gas imports will apply from April 25, 2026, for LNG and June 17, 2026, for pipeline gas.
• For long-term contracts for LNG imports, the prohibition will apply from January 1, 2027, in line with the 19th sanctions package.
• As regards long-term contracts for pipeline gas imports, the prohibition will kick in on September 30, 2027, provided that Member States are on track to fulfil the storage filling targets foreseen in the gas storage regulation, and at the latest on November 1, 2027.

Amendments to existing contracts will only be permitted for strictly defined operational purposes and may not result in increased volumes.

Customs procedures and authorization

The co-legislators included the requirement that both categories of gas imports be subject to a prior authorization regime to ensure that the ban will work in practice.

For Russian gas and imports falling under the transition period, the information required for authorization must be submitted at least one month prior to entry.

For non-Russian gas, proof must be provided at least five days prior to entry and seven days for gas imported through the Strandzha 1 interconnection point. In order to reduce the administrative burden, the co-legislators agreed that this prior authorization procedure would not apply to imports from countries that meet certain criteria, such as major gas-producing countries that exported more than 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the EU in 2024 and that either prohibit or restrict imports of Russian gas, or countries with no import infrastructure. On the basis of continuous monitoring by customs and licensing authorities, the Commission may update the list of exempted countries and, if necessary, remove countries from the list, for example in the case of documented circumvention.

• National diversification plans

The regulation requires all Member States to submit national diversification plans setting out measures to diversify their gas supply and potential challenges, with a view to ending all gas imports from Russia within the deadlines set out in the regulation. At the same time, the agreement strengthens the Commission’s oversight by requiring Member States to notify the Commission within one month of the entry into force of the regulation if they have Russian gas supply contracts or national legal bans in place.

The same requirement to submit a national diversification plan will apply to those Member States that are still importing Russian oil, with a view to discontinuing those imports. The regulation will be accompanied by a Commission statement on its intention to present a legislative proposal on phasing out Russian oil imports into the EU by the end of 2027 at the latest.

• Other elements

Compared to the Commission’s proposal, the co-legislators have introduced provisions for effective, proportionate, and dissuasive penalties for non-compliance with the measures set out in the regulation, including a maximum threshold for penalties for both companies and individuals.

The Council and Parliament have retained the suspension clause, which provides for the possibility of temporarily suspending the application of the regulation in the event of sudden developments that threaten the security of energy supply of one or more Member States. More specifically, the co-legislators agreed to tighten the conditions for the Commission to trigger the temporary lifting of the import ban, based on a strict necessity, a state of emergency declared by a Member State, and only for a limited period covering short-term supply contracts.

In order to assess the impact of the Regulation, the co-legislators also requested the Commission to review the implementation of the Regulation within two years of its entry into force, including the provisions on prior authorization procedures.

 

Next steps

The provisional agreement has to be approved by the Council and Parliament before being formally adopted.

Following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, EU leaders agreed in the Versailles Declaration of March 2022 to phase out dependence on Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible.

As a result, gas and oil imports from Russia to the EU have fallen significantly in recent years. However, while oil imports have fallen below 3% in 2025 due to the current sanctions’ regime, Russian gas still accounts for around 13% of EU imports in 2025, worth over EUR 15 billion annually. This exposes the EU to significant trade and energy security risks.