Overview
- EU energy ministers approved a negotiating position for a legally binding, stepwise prohibition on Russian pipeline gas and LNG, culminating in a full ban on 1 January 2028.
- New Russian gas contracts would be barred from 1 January 2026, with existing short‑term deals allowed until 17 June 2026 and long‑term contracts until 1 January 2028.
- The measure passed by qualified majority despite opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, and it includes narrowly defined flexibilities for landlocked states affected by route changes.
- Enforcement features a prior authorisation regime and stricter origin verification, requiring one month’s notice for Russian gas and five days for non‑Russian gas, with mixed LNG cargoes proving their respective shares and a Commission list of exempted countries.
- Member states still importing Russian fuels must submit diversification plans, anti‑circumvention monitoring will be stepped up, and a separate sanctions push to end Russian LNG by 2027 remains under discussion.