EU to demand proof from gas importers that it is not Russian - draft

The European Union will consider introducing stricter requirements for importers to provide documentary evidence that their gas is not Russian, writes Reuters .

The EU considers 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.

The latest draft of the negotiation proposal, seen by Reuters, includes new requirements for gas suppliers.

"As for the import of natural gas produced in countries other than Russia, the authorized bodies... should be provided with an evidence base to establish the country of production of natural gas," the document states.

This condition will not apply to gas imports from countries that have also banned or imposed sanctions on Russian gas imports.

The negotiating document was prepared by Denmark, which holds the EU presidency. It declined to comment .

According to the proposed ban, the EU will phase out new contracts with Russia starting in January 2026, stop importing Russian gas under existing short-term contracts on June 17, 2026, and under long-term contracts in January 2028.

The governments are to 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.

• Around 19% of European gas came from Russia last year via the TurkStream pipeline and in the form of LNG. This share is expected to drop to 13% in 2025, down from about 45% in 2022 .