EU to publish plan in May to stop Russian gas and oil imports

After twice postponing the plan, the European Commission announced on Monday that it will unveil a more comprehensive strategy for phasing out Russian gas and oil imports in January.

In response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has committed to stop using Russian fossil fuels before 2027. However, the Commission has not yet published its "roadmap" on how to achieve this. The plan was originally due last month.

An agenda published Monday revealed that the Commission would now publish its roadmap on 6 May.

EU sources said that the delays could be due to the uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump's tariff plans. Energy trade may also play a role in EU-U.S. talks.

The EU increased its imports last year of Russian LNG, despite the fact that Russian pipeline gas deliveries are down since 2022. In 2024, 19% of the EU's total gas and LNG supplies will still come from Russia.

The EU has not sanctioned Russian gas imports, unlike oil.

Hungary has pledged to block Russian energy sanction, which requires unanimous approval by EU countries. Other governments have indicated that they are unwilling to approve sanctions against Russian LNG until the EU obtains alternative supplies.

The Commission hasn't indicated which tools it will propose to accelerate the phase-out of Russian energy. The Bruegel think-tank in Brussels has suggested that the EU imposes tariffs on Russian imports.

If the EU were to stop buying Russian gas, it would increase its purchases from other suppliers such as the United States.

The EU said that it would be willing to buy more LNG from the United States. Trump said that selling more energy to Europe was a major focus of the administration's efforts in order to eliminate the trade deficit between the United States and the EU.

U.S. LNG was able to fill the gap created by the Russian energy supply in Europe during 2022's energy crisis. The U.S. was Europe’s third largest gas supplier last year, behind Russia and Norway.

Some businesses and EU diplomats worry that the reliance on U.S. natural gas has become a weakness, especially after Trump indicated that energy would be a bargaining tool in trade negotiations. (Reporting and editing by Kate Abnett, Julia Payne)

(source: Reuters)