REPowerEU: Council of EU agrees position on rules to phase out Russian gas imports

The Council of the European Union today agreed on its negotiating position on the draft regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas. The regulation constitutes a central element of the EU’s REPowerEU roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy, following Russia’s weaponisation of gas supplies and repeated disruptions of gas supplies to the EU with significant effects on the European energy market.

The proposed regulation introduces a legally binding, stepwise prohibition on both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, with a full ban to apply from 1 January 2028. The Council agreement maintains this deadline, and therefore represents an ambitious signal of willingness to deliver on the phase-out. It will contribute to the overarching goal of achieving a resilient and independent EU energy market, while preserving the EU’s security of supply.

“Although we have worked hard and pushed to get Russian gas and oil out of Europe in recent years, we are not there yet. Therefore, it is crucial that the Danish Presidency has secured an overwhelming support from Europe’s energy ministers for the legislation that will definitively ban Russian gas from coming into the EU,” said Lars Aagaard, Minister for climate, energy and utilities of Denmark.

The Council confirmed that imports of Russian gas would be prohibited from 1 January 2026, while maintaining a transition period for existing contracts. In particular, short-term contracts concluded before 17 June 2025 may continue until 17 June 2026, whereas long-term contracts may run until 1 January 2028.

Amendments to existing contracts will be permitted only for narrowly defined operational purposes and cannot lead to increased volumes, except for some specific flexibilities for landlocked member states affected by recent changes in supply routes.

The Council presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament with a view to agreeing on the final text of the regulation, once the latter has adopted its position.

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