EU lawmakers and member states have reached a political agreement to phase out all Russian gas imports by autumn 2027, marking a major step in the bloc’s efforts to end energy reliance on Moscow. The deal, announced early Wednesday, December 3, reflects a compromise between EU governments and the European Parliament, which had advocated for an earlier cutoff.
“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 European Council said. The Council added that the move aims “to end dependency on Russian energy following Russia’s weaponisation of gas supplies with significant effects on the European energy market.”
Under the agreement, long-term pipeline gas contracts will be banned by November 1, 2027, while long-term LNG contracts will be prohibited from January 1, 2027. Short-term contracts will be phased out sooner, with the ban taking effect from April 25, 2026, for LNG and June 17, 2026, for pipeline gas.
The timeline still requires formal approval from both the European Parliament and EU member states, but officials say the political consensus marks a decisive shift in Europe’s energy strategy after nearly three years of efforts to reduce dependence on Russian supplies following the war in Ukraine.
