European Union approves plan for complete abandonment of Russian gas

The Council and Parliament of the European Union have signed a preliminary agreement on regulations for the phased withdrawal of natural gas imports from Russia by 2027.

As reported by BAKU.WS, this was announced by the EU press service.

"The regulation introduces a legally binding phased ban on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas from Russia," the press release states.

It is noted that this regulation is an important element in the REPowerEU program aimed at ending the European Union's dependence on Russian gas. The restrictions will come into force from the end of 2026 and autumn of 2027 respectively.

Recall that the EU launched the REPowerEU program in May 2022. Meanwhile, the cost of Russian LNG purchases for the European Union has increased almost 4.6 times over three years due to price increases. Until 2022, Russian gas accounted for 40% of the EU's total imports of this energy source; by 2023, its share had decreased to approximately 15%. However, in 2024, it began to rise again, reaching almost 19%, which caused dissatisfaction in Brussels.