The European Commission is going to propose on Tuesday the ban on imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas from the EU to the end of 2027, using legal measures to ensure that the plan will not be able to be blocked by EU membersHungary and Slovakia.

Proposals will determine how the European Union plans to incorporate its commitment to terminating energy relations with Russia, the former Europe’s leading gas supplier in decades, which took place after Moscow’s total invasion of Moscow.

An internal summary of the Commission on the forthcoming proposal, which was seen by Reuters, said that will put into law the ban on imports of Russian gas through ducts and lng from On January 1, 2026with longer deadlines for certain contracts.

The short -term Russian gas agreements signed before June 17, 2025, will have a transitional period of one year, until June 17, 2026, he said.

The imports Based on existing long -term Russian conventions They will be banned next from January 1, 2028 – Essentially ending the use of Russian gas from the EU to that date, the summary said.

Companies such as Totalenergies and Spanish Naturgy have Russian LNG contracts expanding until the 2030s.

EU LNG terminals will be banned Also gradually provide services to Russian customers and companies that import Russian gas should disclose information about their contracts to the EU authorities and national authorities.

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen, He said on Monday that the measures were designed to be legally strong enough and companies could rely on the conventional clause of “majeure” – an unpredictable event – to break their contracts with Russian gas.

“Since this is a ban, companies will not face legal problems. This is a force majeureas it would be if it were ratification, “Jorgensen told reporters.

No veto

Slovakia and Hungarywho have sought to maintain close political ties with Russia, still enter Russian gas through conductors And they say that turning to alternatives will increase energy prices. They are committed to blocking sanctions against Russian energy, which require unanimous approval from all EU countries, and have opposed the ban.

To prevent this, the Commission’s proposals will use an EU legal basis that can be approved with the support of an enhanced majority of countries and a majority of the European Parliament, EU officials said.

While most other EU countries have expressed their support for the ban, officials have said that some import countries have expressed concerns about the risk of financial sanctions or arbitration for companies in the event of a breach of contracts.

About 19% of Europe’s natural gas still comes from Russia, Through the Turkstream pipeline and LNG missions – from about 45% before 2022. Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain They are among those who enter Russian LNG.

“We fully support this plan in principle, with the aim of ensuring that we find the right solutions to provide maximum security to businesses,” French Minister of Industry Mark Ferraci told reporters on Monday.