EU officially unveils strategy to phase out Russian gas: key details

The European Commission on Tuesday, May 6, officially presented a new plan called REPowerEU Roadmap, which aims to completely abandon energy resources from Russia. The necessary legislative initiatives will be submitted in June.

The European Commission's website states that the EU is going to gradually and quickly abandon imports of Russian gas, oil and nuclear energy, while ensuring stable energy supplies and prices.

The plan envisages a ban on new contracts for Russian gas and the termination of existing spot contracts (i.e., contracts that allow for the purchase of gas on a short-term basis at current market prices) by the end of 2025 .

The complete abandonment of Russian gas imports – both pipeline and liquefied gas – should come by the end of 2027.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU has already reduced Russian gas imports from 150 billion cubic meters in 2021 to 52 billion cubic meters in 2024, and the share of Russian gas has dropped from 45% to 19%.

Imports of Russian oil decreased from 27% at the beginning of 2022 to 3%. The complete abandonment of the remaining 3% is also planned by the end of 2027.

The EU member states that still import Russian oil (Hungary and Slovakia) should develop and submit to the European Commission national plans with a detailed timetable and appropriate measures.

The phase-out of uranium and nuclear materials from Russia does not have a clear timeline, but will be gradual, with a focus on diversification and development of European alternatives. This is due to the more complex nature of dependencies in the nuclear sector and risks to security of supply.

Deliveries under existing Russian contracts will continue, but extensions and new contracts will not be approved.

• As of 2024, 10 EU countries imported Russian natural gas, three imported Russian oil, and six imported enriched uranium or uranium services from Russia.