The European Commission today expects support and a “firm position” from the Member States of the European Union (EU) to “close the tap to Russian gas”, with a definitive elimination of European purchases from Russia from 2028.
“Today is an important day. We sincerely hope to obtain the support of the Council and ministers to finally turn off the tap for Russian gas”, said European Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jørgensen, speaking upon arrival at the meeting of community managers in Luxembourg.
“For too long, we allowed [o Presidente russo, Vladimir] Putin used energy as a weapon against us. For too long, we have depended on gas from a country that is conducting an illegal war in Ukraine”, he criticized.
The European Commissioner indicated that he expected “a very firm position” from EU Energy ministers today, adding that he was “very optimistic that there will be an agreement today”.
“Not only will this send a very clear signal, but more than that, it will also have a real effect, because it will naturally mean that there will be less money going to Russia in the future”, concluded Dan Jørgensen.
EU energy ministers are expected to reach a political agreement today on the Council’s approach to a proposal to phase out Russia’s remaining gas imports, which should be done by the end of 2026, with a ban in place (with exceptions) from 1 January 2027.
From January 1, 2028, there would be a definitive elimination of Russian gas imports, which would also imply diversifying supply.
The proposed regulation applies to both piped gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is part of the desired end to dependence on fossil fuels from Russia, a country sanctioned by the EU for invading Ukraine in 2022.
The proposal now being discussed also aims to improve the monitoring and traceability of Russian gas, while supporting Member States in managing the transition and ensuring energy security in the EU.
The EU has set itself the objective of ending all imports of Russian LNG by the end of 2026, an anticipation of the previous target of 2027.
Portugal is one of eight EU member states that will have to find alternatives to Russian gas imports as the country still imports LNG from Russia, albeit in relatively small proportions.
In 2024, Portugal imported around 49,141 GWh (gigawatt hours) of natural gas, of which approximately 96% was LNG. Of the total LNG, around 4.4% originated in Russia.
Furthermore, the Russian share of LNG imports in Portugal fell from around 15% in 2021 to 5% in 2024.
On Thursday, the European Parliament even asked the European Union to stop importing liquefied natural gas from Russia from January 1, 2026.
At issue is a draft resolution approved in Brussels by MEPs from the Industry, Research and Energy and International Trade committees, in which they defend preliminary plans to ban imports of Russian gas – via pipeline and LNG – from January 1, 2026.
MEPs allow, however, limited exceptions for short-term contracts (until June 17, 2026) and long-term contracts (until January 1, 2027), as long as they are concluded before June 17, 2025 and are not amended subsequently.