European Union countries’ ambassadors on Wednesday greenlit the bloc’s plan to phase out Russian gas imports by late 2027, a spokesperson for Denmark’s EU presidency said, clearing one of the final legal hurdles before the ban can pass into law.
The EU struck a deal last week on a law to cut ties with Europe’s former top gas supplier Russia, having vowed to do so after Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Under the agreement, the EU will halt Russian liquefied natural gas imports by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas by the end of September 2027.
The Russian gas ban still requires formal approval at a meeting of EU countries’ ministers, and by the European Parliament, before it passes into law.
The Parliament will vote on it next week, while EU ministers are expected to formally approve the ban early next year. EU officials expect both to approve the deal with a comfortable majority, despite opposition from Hungary and Slovakia.
Source: Reuters reported by Kate Abnett, edited by Louise Breusch Rasmussen
