European Commissioner: We will never again import as much as one molecule of Russian energy

European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen said on Friday, ahead of an informal meeting of EU energy ministers in Copenhagen, that he believes the European Union will permanently phase out Russian oil and gas

"Months back I put forward a proposal to effectively ban the import of gas. That proposal is now being negotiated in the European Parliament and amongst Member States. It's important that we reach agreement because we need to send a very clear signal to Russia," he said .

The European Commissioner emphasized that this should be done as soon as possible and on a permanent basis.

"In the future also, even when there is a peace, it is my opinion that we should still not import Russian energy, so this is not a temporary sanction. This is something that will stand. In my opinion, we will never again import as much as one molecule of Russian energy when this agreement is made," Jorgensen said.

• The EU is considering the initiative to completely abandon Russian oil and gas as part of the severance of energy relations with Russia due to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
• According to the proposed ban, the EU will phase out new contracts with Russia starting in January 2026, will stop importing Russian gas under existing short-term contracts from June 17, 2026, and under long-term contracts in January 2028.
• Governments should agree on a common position on the Russian gas ban by mid-October, after which they and the European Parliament will negotiate and approve the final law.