The EU Commission plans radical ending Russian gas imports by 2028!

The EU Commission plans radical ending Russian gas imports by 2028!

Vienna, Österreich - The EU Commission has submitted a far-reaching plan to stop the complete imports of Russian gas by 2028. This initiative, which is designed in response to the ongoing Russian attack war against Ukraine, stipulates, from January 1, 2026, no longer importing new Russian gas and gradually ending existing contracts, with a final ban on long -term contracts from January 1, 2028. designated. According to a report by vienna.at, gas imports from Russia amounted to 15.6 billion euros in 2024, which made up for about 19 % of all gas deliveries in the EU.

The Commission expects the import of US gas, which reached 19.1 billion euros in the same year, one of the alternatives to reduce dependence on Russia. The planned import stop will be introduced in two phases: short -term contracts are expected to expire from June 17, 2026. In order to implement the proposal, the EU countries and the EU Parliament have to negotiate the details, whereby at least 15 of the 27 EU countries have to agree, which together represent 65 % of the EU population.

reactions and challenges

In the context of these developments, some member states such as Hungary and Slovakia have expressed authorized concerns and reject a joint statement on energy supply security. Austria, on the other hand, supports the idea of ​​the import ban, but demands sufficient flexibility for future options. Particular attention is paid to the company Sefe, a former part of Gazprom Germania, which could still import liquefied gas from Russia and be affected by the new measures. Sefe imported six times as much LNG in 2024 as in the previous year.

The EU Commission calls its plans on analyzes that show that the remaining gas resources can be broken down without risks for security of supply. In addition, a security clause was provided that enables the import bans to be suspended in the event of sudden developments.

savings potential and alternative energy sources

As part of a ten-point plan of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the savings potential for gas imports is also pointed out. The EU's annual gas import from Russia could be estimated by the end of 2026 from 155 billion to 77 billion cubic meters, which corresponds to a reduction by almost half. The greatest savings could be achieved by importing alternative gas sources such as Azerbaijan and Norway. Further savings would be possible if existing contracts are not extended.

In addition, it is recommended to expand the use of organic and nuclear energy. Consumers could reduce the gas requirement by around 10 billion cubic meters per year by lowering the heating thermostat by just one degree Celsius. These measures and the expansion of gas stores are crucial to avoid seasonal fluctuations in demand and unexpected events. Countries such as Germany in particular, which 49 % depend on Russian gas, face considerable challenges.