European lawmakers on Wednesday approved a plan to phase out Russian gas imports by the end of 2027, the penultimate legislative step before the ban becomes binding EU law.
500 MEPs voted in favour of the proposal, 120 against and 32 abstentions. The law still needs to be formally confirmed by the EU Council, i.e. ministers of member states, which is expected early next year. According to Union officials, member states should approve the agreement without changes.
The legislation is intended to allow the measure to be adopted by a so-called qualified majority, which means that unanimous consent of all states is not required. This procedure is intended to overcome opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, which have long advocated maintaining energy relations with Moscow.
According to the approved timetable, imports of Russian liquefied natural gas into the EU will end by the end of 2026. Gas deliveries through pipelines are due to cease by the end of September 2027.
Russia was the EU's largest gas supplier before the 2022 invasion, covering around 45 percent of imports. As of October this year, its share had fallen to 12 percent. Russian gas is still taken by countries such as Hungary, France and Belgium.
At the same time, the European Commission has also announced that it will propose legislation to phase out Russian oil imports in early 2026.
(reuters, lud)