The EU is saying goodbye to Russian gas from 2027. This is the result of a political agreement that the Danish EU Presidency has brokered between the EU countries and the EU Parliament on Wednesday night.
The provisional agreement must now be formally adopted in the Council of Ministers and the EU Parliament before it enters into force. The agreement is a major victory for all of Europe, says Minister for Climate and Energy Lars Aagaard (M).
- We must put an end to the EU's dependence on Russian gas, and a permanent ban in the EU is an important step in the right direction, says Lars Aagaard.
The EU countries and the EU Parliament state in the agreement that new imports of Russian gas will be banned six weeks after the regulation enters into force. However, there will be a transition period for existing contracts.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be subject to a complete ban from the end of 2026. Pipeline gas will be subject to a complete ban from the autumn of 2027.
With the agreement, the EU "finally turns off the tap on Russian gas". This is according to EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen.
- We are putting a definitive end to our dangerous dependence on Russia and putting an end to unstable supplies and market manipulation, says Dan Jørgensen in a written comment.
Possibility to temporarily suspend the regulation
At the same time, according to Dan Jørgensen, the EU stands with Ukraine "stronger than ever with them in their fight for freedom".
The agreement means that EU countries must now make national plans for their phasing out of Russian gas. The plans must describe how the countries will phase out gas imports from Russia within the agreed deadlines.
At the same time, the EU Commission will be given stronger oversight powers. Among other things, EU countries must inform each other within one month of the rules coming into force whether they have Russian gas contracts.
If the rules are not complied with, sanctions can also be imposed on companies and private individuals. However, the agreement also includes the possibility of temporarily suspending the regulation.
This can happen in the event of "sudden developments that threaten the security of energy supply in one or more member states". This is stated by the Council of Ministers. However, this requires an EU country to declare that there is an "emergency situation".
And this can only happen "for a limited period". And it can only include short-term contracts.
/ritzau/
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