EU energy commissioner doubles down on commitment to Russian gas ban

The EU does not plan to buy Russian energy supplies in the future -- even in the event of a peace deal for Ukraine -- EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said May 13.

Last week, the European Commission published a road map designed to phase out Russian energy imports completely by the end of 2027.

Jorgensen was asked on May 13, ahead of an informal meeting of EU ministers in Warsaw, what impact a potential peace deal in Ukraine could have on the EU's appetite for Russian energy.

"The EU is very clear. We do not wish for energy from Russia in the future. We don't wish it now and we will not wish it after a peace," he said.

Jorgensen said the road map was a "very clear" signal that the EU did not want to import so much as a "single molecule" in the future.

"For us, it's a very clear road map to end the dependency, and this is something that is independent of the talks that might go on," he said.

Christian Zingerslen, the director of the European energy regulatory agency ACER, described the EU road map as "an ambitious, but also pragmatic approach to how to phase out our reliance on Russian gas."

He said the EU currently imports about 12%-13% of its gas from Russia. "These are relevant volumes, but they are not exorbitant volumes," he said, adding that this meant there were political options on how to tackle the remaining volumes without "unduly endangering the EU's economy."

Legislative proposals

The EC presented the long-awaited road map for eliminating Russian fossil fuel imports on May 6, saying it would give legislative proposals in June to implement a ban on the import of Russian gas under new and existing spot contracts by the end of 2025.

In the road map, first expected in February, the EC also said it would propose next month a ban on the remaining imports of Russian gas and LNG -- volumes imported under existing long-term contracts -- to take effect no later than the end of 2027.

The EC has made it a political priority to end Russian energy imports by 2027, despite some member states remaining dependent on Russian pipeline gas, in particular Hungary and Slovakia.

Other EU countries in southeast Europe still buy Russian pipeline gas, including Greece and Romania, while Russian LNG is supplied to a number of markets in western Europe, notably France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.

Slovakia and Hungary -- which both retain relatively close political ties with Moscow -- have both expressed their strong opposition to EC plans

"The [bans] are not in the interest of Slovakia or other member states and Slovakia will not agree with it," Slovakia's economy ministry said after the announcement.

It said the proposed bans would have a "negative impact on energy prices in Europe" and worsen the competitive position of European industry.

Hungary also expressed its opposition to the proposed bans. "The Commission's politically motivated plan to ban Russian energy is a serious mistake," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on X.

"It threatens energy security, drives up prices, and violates sovereignty. They want us to bear the cost of their reckless support for Ukraine and its rushed EU accession. We firmly reject this," Szijjarto said.

In September 2021, Hungary agreed to a 15-year deal with Russia's Gazprom for 4.5 Bcm/year and also imported additional volumes.

Total Russian gas exports to Hungary in 2023 exceeded 5.5 Bcm and were expected to reach some 7 Bcm in 2024.

In October 2024, Gazprom also signed a memorandum of understanding on the potential to supply more gas to Hungary following a meeting in St. Petersburg between CEO Alexei Miller and Szijjarto.

Slovakia imports

Slovakia has struggled since the end of 2024 to cope with the cessation of Russian gas imports through Ukraine, which previously met almost all of its domestic demand and generated significant gas transit earnings for pipeline operator Eustream.

The country now imports Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline and onshore infrastructure through Hungary under a long-term contract -- set to expire in 2034 -- but this still leaves a deficit that needs to be sourced from other sources.

Slovakia's economy ministry stated that alternatives to Russian gas were insufficient to replace it, and that the various EC measures to implement the Russian ban had "never been agreed at the level of EU member states."

At a press conference on May 7, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico described the EC's plan to end Russian energy imports as "a political and ideological document that should never be realized."

European gas prices have risen since the May 6 announcement.

Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed the TTF month-ahead price on May 2 at Eur32.93/MWh. It last assessed the contract on May 12 at Eur35.12/MWh.