To spite the conductor: The EU Council banned purchases of Russian gas from January 1, 2028

The European Union has banned the purchase of gas from Russia. The restriction, which provides for a transitional period for existing contracts, will enter into force on January 1, 2028. The decision was made as part of the European Commission's plan to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2030. At the same time, it is planned to introduce a measure that will suspend the ban in case of supply problems. How the restriction will affect the European economy is described in the Izvestia article.

What the EU Council decided

The Council of the European Union has approved a proposal by the European Commission prohibiting the purchase of gas from Russia from January 1, 2028. The corresponding statement was published on October 20.

"The Council today agreed on its position in negotiations on a draft resolution on phasing out imports of Russian natural gas," the statement said.

It is noted that this decision is the central element of the REPowerEU roadmap, the European Commission's plan to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2030.

"The proposed regulation introduces a legally binding phased ban on the import of pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas from Russia, with a total ban that will enter into force on January 1, 2028," the statement said.

The EU expects that the agreement will contribute to the creation of a "sustainable and independent EU energy market, while maintaining security of supply."

The Council officially banned the import of Russian gas from January 1, 2026. At the same time, he provided for a transitional period for existing contracts. The document states that short-term contracts concluded before June 17, 2025, will be valid until June 17, 2026. Long—term - until January 1, 2028.

The authority also plans to introduce a measure that will suspend the ban if supply problems occur.

In general, it will be possible to make changes to existing contracts only for narrowly defined operational purposes, without the possibility of increasing supply volumes. However, there will be exceptions for EU member States that are landlocked and affected by changes in supply routes.

The Council also included a requirement providing for a pre-authorization regime for both categories of Russian gas. It is necessary to ensure that the prohibition is enforced in practice.

In particular, we are talking about the fact that for the supply of Russian gas subject to the transition period, it will be necessary to provide the information necessary to obtain a permit no later than one month before the fuel is imported. Meanwhile, the deadline for non-Russian gas is only five days. In the case of mixed cargoes, the documentation must confirm the proportion of gas in the mixture. Only non-Russian volumes will be allowed to be imported into the EU.

The Council of the European Union has also introduced additional monitoring and notification mechanisms designed to prevent the transit of Russian gas through the EU to another destination without entering the European market.

In the future, the EU body intends to start negotiations with the European Parliament, which, in turn, insists on an even stricter form of prohibition, providing for the termination of any Russian gas supplies to EU countries from January 1, 2027, in order to agree on the final text of the regulation.

It is noteworthy that the proposal to ban Russian gas exports was carried out in the EU Council as part of a trade policy, not a sanctions policy. The veto of the Member States has already been lifted. This means that the decision was made by a qualified majority of votes, which allowed ignoring the objections of Slovakia and Hungary.

Why should Europe restrict exports from Russia

The European Union itself recognizes that Russian gas still accounts for about 13% of EU imports in 2025, which is equivalent to more than €15 billion per year. The monthly bill for these imports, according to Bloomberg, ranges from 500 to 700 million euros.

To address this "vulnerability", the REPowerEU roadmap was adopted in May 2025. It is designed to ensure a phased transition to the abandonment of the remaining imports of Russian energy resources.

In June 2025, the EC put forward a proposal aimed at phasing out the remaining pipeline gas and LNG with a total ban by January 1, 2028.

The REPowerEU project was launched in 2022. And, as the European Commission has calculated, an additional €210 billion will be needed to finance the program until 2027. In total, $648 billion will be invested in the project.

The REPowerEU includes several provisions, including the requirement to save energy, the desire to diversify supplies, and the intention to increase the number of clean energy sources.

The decision to ban purchases of Russian gas, however, has a lot to do with the pressure exerted by the United States on Europe. It is the United States that is demanding that the European Union sever energy ties with Moscow, which will increase purchases of American liquefied natural gas.

A recent joint statement on trade between the EU and the United States says it intends to conclude energy deals worth $750 billion over the next three years. The volume of American imports in the European energy mix may reach 67.5%. According to experts, bringing the cost of supplies to $250 billion per year is possible only with a sharp increase in prices for American resources for European consumers.

How will the ban affect the EU economy

By itself, the measure to ban Russian gas supplies to the European Union is quite realistic, says Vladimir Demidov, an independent expert on the fuel market. There is no problem in its technical implementation, as it implies the closure of gas pipelines and a ban on the acceptance of tankers with Russian LNG in ports. At the same time, a more thorough verification of the documentation on the origin of gas from other tankers is envisaged.

However, in practice, the ban is fraught with problems primarily for Europe itself.

"Any ban on the purchase of resources, especially at prices offered by the Russian side, leads to higher prices in the European Union,— the source points out.

He clarifies that pipeline gas is currently supplied to three EU countries — Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. The former is 60% dependent on Russian gas. Hungary and Slovakia — by 85% and 75%, respectively.

— You need to understand that in these countries there is a fairly large percentage of heavy industries and agriculture that work for the entire European Union. This will primarily affect Hungary's steel industry, agriculture and the Slovak agro-industry, and heavy industry and agriculture in Austria. These are the industries that will suffer the most," Demidov predicts.

And, of course, the energy industry will suffer. Due to increased gas prices, electricity generation will also become more expensive. This means that both household services and products will increase in price.

It turns out that Europe is deliberately making everything more expensive in order to achieve political autonomy. However, this will have a negative impact on the EU economy and ordinary consumers.