EU aims to phase out Russian gas by the end of 2027
The EU has set the end of 2027 as the deadline to become independent of Russian gas. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached an agreement on Wednesday morning on the phased elimination of Russian gas and LNG imports, the Danish Presidency of the EU Council announced.
The deal introduces a legally binding, step-by-step ban on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas from Russia. The ban on LNG will begin at the end of 2026, while pipeline gas will be phased out from autumn 2027.
There will be a transition period. Short-term LNG contracts concluded before 17 June 2025 will be prohibited from 25 April 2026. For pipeline gas, the cut-off date is 17 June 2026.
For long-term LNG contracts, the ban will take effect on 1 January 2027, in line with the EU’s nineteenth sanctions package. Long-term pipeline gas contracts will start to be phased out from 30 September 2027, depending on the gas storage target, and the ban will become definitive on 1 November 2027.
Energy dependence
The agreement also requires the European Commission to submit a plan next year outlining how Russian oil exports to Slovakia and Hungary will be phased out by the end of 2027. These are the only EU member states still importing Russian crude oil, and both remain heavily dependent on Russian natural gas. Bratislava and Budapest have long resisted EU proposals to curb reliance on Russian energy.
By phasing out these imports, the EU aims not only to ensure energy independence but also to prevent Moscow from using “the gas tap as a weapon of war” and to restrict revenues that could be used to fund the war in Ukraine.
While Russian gas imports have already fallen sharply since the invasion, around 13 per cent of total EU gas imports in 2025 still came from Russia, worth an estimated 15 billion euros per year.
Major LNG gateway
Belgium, too, continues to import Russian gas. LNG arrives via Zeebrugge, an essential hub in the global LNG trade. Terminal operator Fluxys will have to prepare for the ban on Russian LNG, which enters into force on 1 January 2027.
The port of Zeebrugge was the main entry point for Russian LNG into Europe in 2024. According to a report released in February by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, Zeebrugge imported 6.93 billion cubic metres of Russian LNG in 2024, an 11 per cent decrease from 2023, when imports reached 7.77 billion cubic metres.
#FlandersNewsService | Gas company Fluxys's LNG terminal in Zeebrugge © PHOTO JOHN THYS / AFP
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