Brussels presented on Tuesday a promised plan for a long time to eliminate its remaining gas imports from Russia at the end of 2027, which until now has presented a significant challenge given the continuous dependence of Europe on Russian fossil fuels.
“Today, the European Union sends a very clear message to Russia: no more, we will not allow Russia to arm the energy against us,” said EU Energy Chief that Jorgens as detailed the measures.
The two -step plan of the European Commission would end the new contracts and the existing short -term spot contracts with Russian suppliers at the end of 2025. All remunerating imports would be prohibited in the late 2027.
“We will not allow our member states to be chanthas. We will no longer help the war chest at Kremlin,” Jorgesen told a press conference.
The EU promulgated a prohibition of Russian oil at the end of 2022 in response to the large -scale invasion of Ukraine of Moscow, and since then it has tried to dismiss Russian gas supplies.
The imports of Althehoug through pipes have fallen abruptly, several European countries have incessed their Russian liquefied natural gas purchases, transported by sea, and the block now wants to turn off the complete tap.
Russia still supplies 17% of the block of the block, according to EU data, and up to 19%, according to the Institute of Economics and Financial Analysis of Energy (Yeafa).
To do without Russian energy, “the guiding principle is diversification,” the spokeswoman for the European Commission, Paula Pinho, said last week.
The elimination eliminating Russian supplies would pave the way for Europe to buy more LNG from the United States, something Brussels and Donald Trump have floated as a way to resolve the confrontation caused after the president of the United States pointed to European exports with tariffs.
The EU Chief of Commerce, Maros Sefcovic, told The Financial Times that the dispute with Washington could be resolved “very quickly” through LNG and soy purchases as a way to reduce the commercial surplus of the block of 27 countries his partner.
The United States is already the largest LNG supplier in the block, which represents 45.3% of the market.
European officials recognize that eliminating the elimination of Russian energy is easier to say it than to do it, since some member states depend more on Moscow LNG than others, while others such as Hungary have relatively warm bonds with the Kremlin.
France, for example, would face a heavier impact of any departure from the Russian LNG, since it has five terminals for delivery in Europe.
France increased its Russian LNG imports by 81% between 2023 and 2024, which gives Russia 2.68 billion euros ($ 3 billion) in revenue, in accordance with the Institute of Economics and Financial Analysis of Energy.
The commission’s plan, which still needs the approval of the Member States, was delayed while Brussels waited to see if the conversations between Russia and the United States showed an agreement to end the Ucrine War.
The EU executive has highlighted their efforts to reduce the dependence of Russian fossil fuels since the invasion of 2022.
Approximately a few years, “we get used to 45% of our gas imports that come from Russia, up to 18%. We get used to one in five barrels or oil to five, a reduction of ten times,” said EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen, Lasth.
But, he admitted, “we all know there is much more to do.”
