The European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement to phase out imports of Russian natural gas into the European Union. The plan includes a ban on spot-market liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports starting in early 2026, with pipeline gas imports ending by September 30, 2027.
The draft legislation, informally agreed upon between Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on International Trade along with the Danish Presidency of the Council, also establishes harmonised maximum penalties for member states to enforce against operators who violate these rules.
As part of the negotiations, MEPs advocated for a prohibition on all Russian oil imports. They secured a commitment from the European Commission to introduce a legislative proposal at the start of 2026 that would make such a ban effective no later than by the end of 2027.
MEPs also strengthened provisions related to temporary suspensions of import bans in case of emergencies affecting EU energy security. To address potential loopholes and reduce circumvention risks, operators will now be required to provide more detailed evidence regarding the origin country of their gas before it is imported or stored.
Ville Niinistö (Greens/EFA, Finland), lead MEP for the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), stated: “This is a historic outcome: the EU is taking giant steps towards a new era free of Russian gas and oil. Russia can never again use fossil fuel exports as a weapon against Europe. European Parliament had key priorities to accelerating the timeline for banning pipeline gas as much as possible, prohibition on long-term LNG contracts by a full year earlier and prevent the rules from being circumvented. Now, we must act without delay to finalise this agreement and turn our attention to oil imports, where we will take the European Commission at its commitment to advance a legislative proposal early next year.”
Inese Vaidere (EPP, Latvia), lead MEP for the International Trade Committee, added: “Tonight’s agreement sends a clear and powerful message: Europe will never again be dependent on Russian gas. This is a major achievement for the European Union and a historic turning point in European energy policy. We have strengthened the European Commission’s initial proposal by introducing a pathway towards a ban on oil and its products, ending long-term contracts sooner than originally proposed, and secured penalties for non-compliance.”
A press point with co-rapporteurs will take place Wednesday at 10:30 next to room ANTALL 2Q1 after presenting negotiation outcomes in committee.
For this agreement to become law, it must receive formal endorsement from both Parliament and Council. The relevant committees are scheduled to vote jointly on December 11 ahead of consideration by Parliament during its plenary session from December 15-18.
This legislative initiative comes in response to Russia’s use of energy supplies as leverage over nearly two decades—a practice that intensified following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Actions such as underfilling EU storage facilities and sudden pipeline shutdowns led to significant volatility in energy prices across Europe.
