European Union (EU) lawmakers and member states have reached a political agreement to ban all imports of Russian natural gas into the bloc by autumn 2027, in what officials describe as a landmark step to end reliance on Moscow’s energy supplies.
EU
The European Council announced on Wednesday that the deal represents a compromise between EU governments and the European Parliament, which had earlier pressed for an earlier cutoff date.
“Today, the Council presidency and the European Parliament’s representatives reached a provisional agreement on the regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas,” the Council said in a statement.
Under the agreement, long-term contracts for Russian pipeline gas will be prohibited from Nov. 1, 2027, while long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) contracts will end on Jan. 1, 2027. Short-term contracts will be phased out earlier, with bans taking effect from Apr. 25, 2026 for LNG and Jun. 17, 2026 for pipeline gas.
EU officials said the move is aimed at ending dependency on Russian energy following Moscow’s “weaponisation of gas supplies,” which has had significant effects on the European energy market since the war in Ukraine.
The timeline still requires formal approval from both the European Parliament and the EU’s member states, but diplomats say the political consensus marks a decisive shift in Europe’s energy strategy after nearly three years of efforts to reduce reliance on Russian supplies.
Energy analysts note that the ban will accelerate Europe’s diversification drive, with increased imports from alternative suppliers such as the United States and Qatar, alongside investments in renewable energy and LNG infrastructure.
