“Not a molecule of Russian gas any more.” EU Parliament to bring forward import ban by one year

Brussels – The European Parliament is becoming increasingly intransigent on the phasing out of Russian hydrocarbons. In today’s vote (16 October) on the European Commission’s legislative proposal to ban all contracts with Moscow by the end of 2027, MEPs from the two committees responsible (for Industry, Research and Energy and for International Trade) gave a clear-cut verdict: 83 votes in favour, 9 against and 1 abstention.

The EU’s ambitions are reconfirmed to “no longer import a single molecule of Russian gas,” as stated by the European Energy Commissioner, Dan Jorgensen. An outcome that still remains a long way off, given that, by the admission of the Popular MEP Ines Vaidere, EU countries “since the beginning of the war, have paid over €210 billion for Russian fossil energy, almost as much as Russia has spent on the conflict.”

Countries of Europe have sent money, weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. However, they have also bought Russian oil and gas, thus providing revenues for Moscow to wage war. Some countries – most notably Hungary and Slovakia – still buy Russian oil and gas.

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— Alexander Kokcharov (@alex_kokcharov) September 29, 2025

No more exceptions 

In spite of the difficulties, the report signed today is particularly tough; the rapporteur Vaidere (EPP) described it as “stronger than the European Commission proposal.” The negotiating document imposes very tight deadlines, requiring Russian oil and gas supplies to cease from 1 January 2026. Moreover, “loopholes” will no longer be allowed for those with existing contracts with Gazprom. These will be closed in all their formats by 2027, one year earlier than proposed by the Union’s executive body. For countries that enjoyed exceptional treatment, as Hungary and Slovakia, the time for derogations is over, with the obligation to align with the EU stance.

This has infuriated Slovakia. The Parliament in Bratislava, in a reasoned opinion sent to the ITRE Committee, delivered a scathing argument: “The proposed regulation on the phasing out of natural gas imports from Russia exceeds the powers that can be exercised at the level of the Member States.” It went on to clarify that the Commission’s aim would be “to circumvent the powers provided under the Common Foreign and Security Policy in order to avoid the use of the veto in the European Council.”

The fight against the shadow fleet

The Parliament, however, proceeds decisively and upped the ante. In the approved report, it is made clear that one of the main objectives is to stop gas triangulations with third countries. To this end, new obligations have been introduced for importers, including the quarterly submission to the competent national authority of documents on the origin of the gas sold. Stricter controls on the shadow fleet are also foreseen: certification of origin for pipelines, quarterly audits, and a list of LNG terminals considered to be high-risk will be required. 

The decision echoes statements from Washington. Yesterday, the US Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, proposed a 500 per cent tariff on Chinese imports into the US as a punitive measure for the increasing influx of Russian gas.

Trump plans to create a “Victory Fund” for Ukraine financed by tariffs on China’s purchases of Russian oil

The Trump administration is preparing an initiative to impose high tariffs on Chinese imports of Russian oil, with the revenue to be directed toward aid for Ukraine. The… pic.twitter.com/dYc1yR58uR

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 16, 2025

Before final approval 

The partial result obtained in the chambers of the EU Parliament will now have to be put to the vote of the Strasbourg chamber. It is not yet clear whether the text will be discussed in the next plenary session, but the green light in the plenary chamber seems a foregone conclusion, given the satisfaction expressed by most of the political forces. Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, negotiator for the S&D group, said: “Never again will we allow Russia to manipulate our energy market and put millions of jobs at risk.” After approval in plenary, the text will move to trialogues with the other two co-legislators of the Union, the European Commission and the Council, for the final negotiation phase.