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Europe will never go back to Russian energy after Moscow’s all-out war in Ukraine, Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen told Euronews’ flagship morning show Europe Today, adding that a new law to ban Russian oil is in the works and will be presented soon.
Jørgensen described the EU27’s ban on Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a point of no return moment for the bloc during an exclusive interview with Euronews.
“Even when there’s peace, we won’t buy Russian gas again. Our agreement will stand even after a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is reached,” Jørgensen said, recalling the spike in gas prices that shocked the European economy after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“We should never repeat the mistake of becoming dependent of Russian gas again,” Jørgensen added.
The Danish Commissioner regretted Hungary’s reaction to the ban. Budapest says it will legally challenge the European Commission’s proposal.
“I don’t really understand these countries (Hungary, Slovakia). I think we should stand together shoulder by shoulder against Putin to help our friends in Ukraine,” he said, noting the Commission is ready to help all member states at risk of supply disruptions.
The Commissioner also cited the difficulties faced by the EU co-legislators during the “hard” political talks to get the deal done. The legislative file was adopted under a trade procedure rather than the sanctions framework given the lack of unanimity around it.
Sanctions must be approved unanimously by all 27 member states.
“Implementation will happen gradually and can be done in a way that will not have negative effects,” Jørgensen said.
With the law in force by the end of 2027, no more Russian LNG or pipeline gas should be entering the bloc. The EU co-legislators established that for short-term supply contracts concluded before 17 June, the ban will apply from 25 April 2026 for LNG and 17 June 2026 for pipeline gas.
Long-term LNG import contracts will be allowed to run until 1 January 2027, in line with the 19th sanctions package.
For long-term contracts for pipeline gas imports, the prohibition will kick in on 30 September 2027. However, depending on the level of storage filling across member states, the ban can be pushed to 1 November 2027.
Every morning at 8 am CET, you can join Euronews’ chief anchor Méabh Mc Mahon and our EU editor Maria Tadeo, who will bring you up to speed on the major news events of the day in our new daily show “Europe Today”.