The European Commission announced on Monday that it will release a long-awaited strategy to phase out Russian oil and gas imports next month, after twice postponing the plan.
The European Union had earlier pledged to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels by 2027 in response to Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but has yet to publish a clear roadmap outlining how it intends to achieve this target.
Originally scheduled for release last month, the strategy will now be made public on May 6, according to an agenda published by the Commission on Monday.
Reports indicate that the delays were partly due to uncertainty surrounding potential tariffs from former US President Donald Trump, with energy trade seen as a possible sticking point in EU-US negotiations.
While Russian pipeline gas supplies to Europe have dropped sharply since 2022, the EU increased its imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) last year. In 2024, Russian gas and LNG still accounted for 19% of the bloc’s overall gas supply.
Unlike crude oil, Russian gas has not faced EU sanctions, and Hungary has consistently vowed to veto any such measures, which would require unanimous support from all EU member states. Several other governments have also expressed reluctance to endorse sanctions on Russian LNG without first securing alternative energy supplies.
So far, the European Commission has not disclosed the specific measures it intends to propose to fast-track the bloc’s disengagement from Russian oil and gas.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
