Stop the imports of gas and oil from Russia within two years. This is the objective announced today by the European Commission, which aims to completely reset the purchase of gas, oil and materials connected to the production of Moscow nuclear energy by 2027, regardless of the developments of the war in Ukraine. This is because, after the Russian conflict, Brussels reduced the imports from Moscow but did not completely reset them. Russian gas imports in the EU went from 45 percent in 2021 to 19 of 2024, and should be reduced to 13 percent by the end of the year.
The Roadmap for the abandonment of Russian fossil sources
“Last year the European Union paid € 23 billion to Russia for energy imports: they are 1.8 billion per month. This must end,” said European Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jorgensen. Brussels is working on a series of legislative proposals to definitively interrupt the energy dependence of the twenty -seven from Russia. The Commission has already set its objectives in a Roadmap to implement the RepoWereu plan: by the end of the year, shops on the market, new and existing, and from the end of 2027 for long -term contracts will be prohibited on the market.
In other words, therefore, it will be forbidden to enter into new contracts with Russian suppliers, both for the gas transported via Gasdotto and for the one in the form of GNL (liquefied natural gas). The spots contracts already in force will be gradually eliminated, with the aim of interrupting them completely by the end of 2025. According to the commission estimates, this measure should already allow to reduce the residual Russian gas supplies by a third by the end of the year. The EU executive also intends to propose the definitive stop to all gas imports from Russia by 2027.
The task of the Member States to elaborate national strategies
The roadmap presented today by the European Commission marks a step forward towards energy independence from Russia, but still remains wandering in detail. The document presented today is a communication and will be followed, next month, by a package of legislative proposals. Among these, one will be on the rules for greater transparency, monitoring and traceability of the Russian gas used in the EU, while another will impose on the Member States the task of developing national strategies for the gradual elimination of the imports of gas, oil and Russian nuclear materials, in compliance with the deadlines set by Brussels. The goal is a coordinated and managed transition in an orderly way, which takes into account the energy specificities and the requirements of diversification of each country.
Despite the reduction of Russian oil and coal dependence, in 2024 the European Union continued to import significant volumes of gas from Russia, both through gas pipelines and in the form of GNL. According to the data of Rystad Energy, reported by the Guardian, 17.8 million tons of natural gas liquefied ultra-freddo natural gas have arrived in the European ports, with an increase of over 2 million tons compared to 2023. “The flows of GNL are not only increasing, but are at record levels,” said Jan-Eric Fahnrich, an analyst in the gas sector for Rystad.
A path to relaunch the goals of the repoweru
The Roadmap updates and relaunches the goals of RepoWereu, the plan presented in 2022 to accelerate the energy independence of the Union. On the nuclear front, the proposals expected for the next month provide measures to limit the imports of uranium enriched by Russia and prohibit new contracts co -owned by the European Agency for supply (ESA) for the purchase of Russian nuclear materials. Among the expected initiatives, also the creation of the “European Radioisotopi Valley” to strengthen the internal production of radioisotopes intended for medical use.
As for oil, Brussels intends to strengthen the contrast to the so -called “shadow fleet”, the naval system through which Moscow evades international sanctions and the maximum roof at the price of crude oil. The Commission will work on new diplomatic actions in coordination with the international maritime organization (IMO) and will start maritime missions within the framework of the EU’s security and common defense policy.
