The European Union has decided to completely halt imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027. This decision is part of a strategy that also includes reducing imports of Russian oil, intensifying the fight against the Russian shadow fleet, and significantly reducing dependence on Russia in the nuclear sector, particularly by limiting the supply of enriched uranium.
This is reported by Finway
The relevant information is contained in a document prepared by the European Commission, which has been submitted to the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, and other institutions. This roadmap was presented on May 6 in Strasbourg by European Commissioner Dan Jørgensen. According to Jørgensen, the European Commission intends to present legislative proposals based on this roadmap by June 2025.
“The European Union aims to completely phase out imports of Russian energy resources… In particular, it plans to stop purchasing Russian gas by the end of 2027,” said Dan Jørgensen.
Additionally, EU member states will be recommended to prepare national plans for a gradual phase-out of imports of Russian gas, nuclear energy, and oil by the end of 2025.
In 2024, the EU still imported 52 billion cubic meters of Russian gas (of which 32 billion cubic meters were through pipelines and 20 billion cubic meters were liquefied natural gas), accounting for about 19% of the total gas imports into the EU. Furthermore, 13 million tons of crude oil and over 2800 tons of uranium in enriched or fuel form were imported from Russia.
The document notes that ten member states imported Russian gas in 2024, three countries continued to import Russian oil, and seven countries imported enriched uranium or related services from Russia.
In the context of Russian gas, the roadmap stipulates that new contracts with suppliers of Russian gas, both pipeline and liquefied, will not be concluded, and existing spot contracts must be terminated by the end of 2025. This will allow for a reduction of Russian gas supplies to the EU by one-third by the end of this year. All imports of Russian gas will be completed by the end of 2027.
Regarding Russian oil, which accounted for about 3% of total EU imports in 2024, new measures are planned to combat the Russian shadow fleet engaged in illegal oil transportation.
In the field of nuclear energy, the European Commission’s proposals, which will be submitted next month, will include measures to reduce imports of enriched uranium from Russia, as well as restrictions on entering into new contracts for the supply of uranium and other nuclear materials. An initiative called “European Radioisotope Valley” will be launched to ensure the supply of medical radioisotopes to the EU by increasing domestic production.