EU Unveils Ban on Russian Fossil Fuel Imports in Bid for Energy Autonomy

In a major step toward ending one of Europe’s deepest energy dependencies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on X that the EU has decided to “close the tap” on Russian fossil fuels permanently.

The announcement came shortly after EU member states and European Parliament negotiators reached a sweeping agreement to stop all imports of Russian gas by autumn 2027. The deal, finalised after intense overnight talks, marks one of the bloc’s most significant policy shifts since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

While Europe has sharply cut its reliance on Russian energy in the past three years, pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) have still been entering the bloc, generating billions in revenue for Moscow. Shutting off that revenue stream has been both politically sensitive and technically challenging.

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen hailed the agreement as a historic milestone. Under the new rules, companies will be allowed to invoke “force majeure” to exit existing contracts without facing legal consequences once the ban begins.

The deal also instructs the European Commission to prepare a plan to phase out Russian oil imports to Hungary and Slovakia by late 2027. Both countries have been exempt from previous rounds of sanctions, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has openly opposed cutting Russian energy ties.

Although the EU has reduced Russian gas from 45% of imports in 2021 to 19% in 2024, Russia remains one of the bloc’s major LNG suppliers, AFP reported.