The European Union has taken a step forward to end imports of Russian oil and gas. The aim is to weaken the Kremlin's ability to finance the war in Ukraine.
The approval of EU ambassadors means that the draft legislation has cleared its first political hurdle. Three diplomats told Reuters news agency that they will present it to member state ministers for approval during the EU Council meeting on October 20.
The details are still being worked out
Negotiations on technical details are still ongoing ahead of the decisive vote in October. For example, whether to check whether liquefied natural gas (LNG) imported into the EU comes from Russia.
The planned EU law to end Russian energy imports would mark a historic shift in the bloc's energy policy. If passed, new contracts for Russian gas will be banned from January 2026, with short-term contracts expiring in June 2026 and long-term contracts in January 2028.
The law would also require Hungary and Slovakia—the only countries still importing Russian oil—to develop national plans to end those imports by 2028.
The EU is currently negotiating a 19th package of sanctions against Russia, under which it proposes a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from January 2027.
Russian gas currently accounts for 12 percent of European imports, down from 45 percent before the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
Veto by Hungary and Slovakia circumvented
The EU's plan to end imports of Russian oil and gas by 2028 has broad support among member states, but has long been criticized by Slovakia and Hungary.
The European Commission has therefore proposed these measures in such a way that a qualified majority, i.e., the approval of at least 15 of the 27 member states representing at least 65 percent of the European Union's population, is sufficient for their adoption. In doing so, it has circumvented the veto of the two Central European states.
Slovakia and Hungary argue that they have no access to seaports or terminals for liquefied natural gas. They are calling for alternative supply routes to be secured first, including the Adriatic pipeline, which does not yet have sufficient capacity.
Last year, Slovakia imported around 5.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia, which corresponds to around 85 percent of Slovakia's total gas imports. Oil from Russia accounts for around 60 percent of Slovakia's imports of this energy source.
Slovakia has signed long-term contracts with Russian suppliers until 2028. Early termination of these contracts could have financial consequences in the form of penalties and compensation payments.
(reuters, mja)