The European Union has unveiled plans to legally bypass Hungary and Slovakia to ban Russian gas imports by 2027, using trade and energy laws that avoid national vetoes.
Slovakia and Hungary, which have sought to maintain close political ties with Russia, say switching to alternatives would increase energy prices. They have vowed to block sanctions on Russian energy, which require unanimous approval from all EU countries, and have opposed the ban.
The Commission based its proposed ban on EU trade and energy law to get around this, relying on support from most countries and a majority of the European Parliament.
First, imports would be banned from January 1, 2026, under any Russian pipeline gas and LNG contracts signed during the remainder of this year.
Imports under short-term Russian gas deals—those lasting less than one year—signed before June 17, 2025, would be banned from June 17 next year.
Finally, imports under existing long-term Russian contracts would be banned from January 1, 2028, effectively ending the EU's use of Russian gas by this date, the Commission said.
Hungary and Slovakia, which still import Russian gas via pipeline and have opposed the EU plans, would have until January 1, 2028, to end their imports, including those on short-term contracts.
“When the legislation is passed, all countries, of course, has to apply to it, and if they don't, then there will be legal consequences, like with any other legislation in the European Union,” Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing said.
Russia loses market
The EU would also gradually ban liquid natural gas (LNG) terminals from providing services to Russian customers, and companies importing Russian gas would have to disclose information on their contracts to EU and national authorities.
On Monday, EU energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen said that the measures were designed to be legally strong enough for companies to invoke the contractual clause of “force majeure”–an unforeseeable event–to break their Russian gas contracts.
About 19% of Europe’s gas still comes from Russia via the TurkStream pipeline and LNG shipments, down from roughly 45% before 2022.
Companies, including TotalEnergies and Spain’s Naturgy, have Russian LNG contracts extending into the 2030s.
To replace Russian supplies, the EU has signaled it will expand clean energy and could import more LNG from the U.S.
Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and France import Russian LNG but have all said they fully support the ban, emphasizing that it must be sufficiently robust legally to avoid exposing companies to penalties or arbitration, EU diplomats told Reuters.
A Ukrainian man has been sentenced to eight years in prison by a Polish court for preparing to carry out acts of sabotage on behalf of Russia.
The 51-year-old, who can only be identified as Serhiy S. under Polish privacy law, was detained by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) in January 2024 on suspicion of working for the Russian security services.
He was accused of planning arson attacks on various buildings in Wrocław, Poland’s third-largest city, including a paint factory in close proximity to a fuel warehouse belonging to state oil giant Orlen.
In a ruling today – which can still be appealed – Serhiy S. was convicted of participating in an international organised criminal group and planning sabotage activities in Poland on behalf of foreign intelligence services.
Among the evidence against him were camera recordings and mobile phone records that showed him in close proximity to the paint plant, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
The suspect himself – who fled Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and had previously stayed in Germany – had acknowledged accepting an order received online to set fire to the building. But he claimed he had no intention to actually do it, instead aiming to defraud money from the person offering it.
The judge, Marcin Myczkowski, rejected Serhiy S.’s not-guilty plea, however. In handing down the sentence, Myczkowski noted that, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland and other European countries have faced a wave of actions aimed at destabilising them, including acts of sabotage.
“The idea was to convince the public that it was not worth supporting Ukraine, to create the impression that the authorities of Western countries were not coping,” said Myczkowski, quoted by the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.
Serhiy S. was among those who had been “instructed and directed” to carry out such actions, said the judge. He expressed hope that the eight-year prison sentence would “signal to the accused and people like him that it is not worth it and that the Polish state is acting”.
Both Myczkowski and one of the prosecutors in the case, Marcin Kucharski, noted that Serhiy S. is an example of a new kind of agent used by foreign services.
“Instead of expensive, highly qualified agents trained for a long time, we are dealing with people who are ready to do anything for four thousand dollars,” said Kucharski, quoted by PAP.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland has arrested a number of people accused of spying for or carrying out sabotage on behalf of Russia and Belarus. It has also accused Moscow and Minsk of orchestrating a migration crisis on Poland’s border and of carrying out cyberattacks.
In December 2023, 14 members of a Russian spy network who planned to derail a Ukraine aid train were sentenced in Poland to between one and six years in prison.
Poland has also suggested that it is likely Russia was behind a wave of sabotage cases last year, including a fire that destroyed Warsaw’s largest shopping centre. In October, four people were detained in Poland on suspicion of involvement in sending hidden incendiaries via parcel delivery services.
Last week, two Russian men were sentenced to five and a half years in prison for place restriction posters for Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group in Polish cities.