The European Union announces its agreement to ban gas imports from Russia by 2027

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– It is the dawn of a new era, the era of Europe’s complete energy independence from Russia – this is what the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced when announcing the agreement.

Europe has reduced its purchases of Russian gas by half since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022. Despite this, Moscow is still responsible for a fifth of the bloc’s fuel imports. When it comes to LNG, Russia is the EU’s second-largest supplier, accounting for 15% of the total, behind only the United States – in business of between €500 million and €700 million (R$3.09 billion to R$4.34 billion at current exchange rates) per month.

“We did it: Europe will cut off Russian gas supplies forever,” European Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen wrote in a post on X. We are sending a clear message to Russia: Europe will never allow its energy supplies to be used as a weapon again.

The measure was proposed in June, aiming to address risks to the bloc’s energy security since the crisis sparked by Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, and Moscow’s subsequent restrictions on gas. Internal negotiations faced disagreements, with the European Parliament pressing for a faster ban, while member states advocated for a longer period to implement the measure.

The submitted agreement, which still needs formal approval by member states and the European Parliament, stipulates the gradual cancellation of Russian gas, starting with a ban on new purchases from the beginning of next year, with exceptions for existing contracts. A schedule has been established in advance to differentiate between the type of gas and existing supply contracts.

For LNG, short-term contracts concluded before June 17, 2025 will be banned from April 25, 2026, the date on which EU sanctions on maritime deliveries come into force. For long-term LNG contracts, the ban will come into effect from January 1, 2027.

In the case of gas transported via pipelines, the deadlines also vary, depending on whether the agreement is short-term or long-term. For short-term contracts, the ban will take effect from June 17, 2026, while long-term contracts will be banned from September 30, 2027, as long as reserves are sufficient – ​​no later than November 1 of the same year. European companies will be able to claim “force majeure” to legally justify contract violations, citing the import ban imposed by the European Union.

This action sparked immediate repercussions from the Kremlin, which criticized the European Union’s decision. The main spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, said in a press conference on Wednesday morning that Europe would weaken itself by cutting its relations with Russia.

– (The ban on Russian gas) means that Europe is dooming itself to much more expensive energy sources – Peskov said. — This will only accelerate the process of the European economy losing its leadership capabilities.

This measure was not satisfied by all European countries. Hungary and Slovakia, whose governments openly support Russia, announced they would appeal the EU plan and promised to refer the case to the EU Court of Justice. Representatives of countries claim that this measure affects the energy security of their countries.

Analysts say that increasing dependence on Russian gas supplies would be a mistake for the entire region. In an interview with Bloomberg News, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said,