The European Commission has presented a roadmap for the gradual withdrawal of Russian oil, gas and nuclear energy from EU markets. With the nine measures included, the EC believes it will be able to maintain the security of energy supplies in the EU while limiting any impact on prices and markets.
Global liquefied natural gas supplies are expected to grow rapidly from 2025, while demand for gas will decline. With the full implementation of the Energy Transition Framework and the Affordable Energy Action Plan, the EU is expected to replace up to 100 billion cubic metres of natural gas by 2030, which means a reduction in demand of 40-50 billion cubic metres by 2027. At the same time, liquefied natural gas capacity is expected to increase by around 200 billion cubic metres by 2028, which is five times more than current Russian gas imports to the EU.
The current roadmap will be translated into a legislative initiative by the European Commission in the coming months.
Coordinated and phased termination of Russian energy supplies
The EC will work with Member States to ensure that the termination of Russian energy imports across the EU is gradual and well-coordinated within the Union. They will be asked to prepare national plans by the end of this year setting out how they will contribute to the gradual phasing out of imports of Russian gas, nuclear energy and oil.
All measures will be accompanied by continued efforts to accelerate the energy transition and diversify energy supplies, including through gas demand aggregation and better use of infrastructure, to avoid risks to security of supply and market stability.
It is important for the EC to prevent the conclusion of new contracts with Russian gas suppliers (for pipelines and liquefied natural gas) and to terminate existing spot contracts by the end of 2025. This measure aims to reduce the EU’s remaining Russian gas supplies by one third by the end of this year. In addition, the EC will propose that all remaining imports of Russian gas be stopped by the end of 2027.
For more information: EC
