The European Commission has drafted a roadmap on how it plans to phase out Russian gas, according to a document seen by Reuters on Tuesday. By June, it will propose a plan to bannew Russian gas deals by the end of 2025 and halt imports under existing contracts by the end of 2027.
TheEuropean Commissionwill propose next month a ban on new Russian gas deals by the end of this year, and a ban on imports under existing contracts withMoscowby the end of 2027, according to a draft document seen by Reuters and due to be published on Tuesday.
TheEuropean Unionset a non-binding aim to end Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027 after Moscows full-scale invasion ofUkrainein 2022.
A draft of the roadmap, setting out how the Commission plans to phase out Russianenergy, said that in June, it will present a legal proposal to ban remaining Russian gas and LNG imports under existing contracts by end-2027.
The Commission will also propose in June a ban on imports under new Russian gas import deals and spot contracts by the end of 2025, said the draft, which could still change before it is published.
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If implemented in alignment with global market developments and reliable suppliers, the phase-out of Russian gas imports is expected to have limited impact on European energy prices and security of supply, said the draft.
The legal proposals would need approval from theEuropean Parliamentand a reinforced majority of EU countries.
The EU has imposedsanctions on Russian coal and seaborne oil shipments, but not on gas due to opposition from Slovakia and Hungary, which receive Russian pipeline supplies and say switching to other suppliers would hike energy prices. Sanctions require unanimous approval from all 27 EU countries.
Around 19% of Europes gas still comes from Russia, via theTurkStream pipelineand liquefied natural gas shipments.
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Thats far below the roughly 40% Russia supplied before 2022. But European buyers still have take-or-pay contracts withGazpromwhich require those that refuse gas deliveries to pay for much of the contracted volumes.
The Commission has been assessing legal options to allow European companies to break existing Russian gas contracts without facing financial penalties.
The draft did not specify details of the measuresBrusselsintends to use to do this. Lawyers have said it would be difficult to invoke force majeure to quit these deals, and that buyers could face penalties or arbitration for doing so.
Uncontracted spot purchases made up around 31% of the Russian LNG Europe bought last year, Rystad Energy data show.
As it attempts to cut decades-old energy ties with Russia, the European Commission has signalled willingness to buy more US LNG, a step US PresidentDonald Trumphas demanded from Europe as a way of shrinking its trade surplus with the United States.
The Commission is also concerned about energy prices, and has said any measures to restrict Russian energy imports must hurt Moscow more than the EU, and take into account the impact on fuel costs.
The US is pushing Russia for a peace deal with Ukraine, which, if reached, may reopen the door for Russian energy and ease sanctions.
The European Commission had originally planned to publish its roadmap in March, but delayed it in part due to uncertainty around these developments.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
Originally published on France24
