European Union lawmakers and member states reached a deal Wednesday to ban all imports of Russian gas by autumn 2027.
“We’ve made it: Europe is turning off the tap on Russian gas, forever,” EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen wrote on X:
We’ve chosen energy security and independence for Europe. No more blackmail. No more market manipulation by Putin. We stand strong with Ukraine.
Under the deal, long-term pipeline contracts—considered the most sensitive because they can run for decades—will be banned from September 30, 2027, provided storage levels are sufficient, and no later than November 1, 2027.
For liquefied natural gas (LNG), long-term contracts will be prohibited from January 1, 2027, in line with a call by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to tighten sanctions on Moscow.
Short-term contracts will be phased out earlier: from April 25, 2026 for LNG and June 17, 2026 for pipeline gas.
The timeline must still get final approval from the European Parliament and member states.
European companies will be able to invoke “force majeure” to legally justify breaking existing contracts, citing the EU import ban.
