European Union ambassadors have agreed on a plan to gradually phase out imports of Russian oil and gas by January 2028.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Reuters with reference to European diplomats.
At a closed meeting on Wednesday, October 8, EU ambassadors agreed to submit the draft law for consideration by the relevant ministers, who are expected to approve it on October 20.
According to diplomats, almost all member states supported the document, so its adoption is expected without significant obstacles, despite criticism from Hungary and Slovakia.
Technical coordination will continue until the vote on October 20.
A “qualified majority” will be required to approve the plan, i.e., the support of at least 55% of EU countries.
After that, EU government officials and European Parliament lawmakers will negotiate the final version of the plan to abandon Russian energy sources.
It is noted that the EU plan will end Europe’s long-standing dependence on Russian oil and gas by gradually phasing out Russian gas imports under new contracts from January 2026, then under existing short-term contracts from June 2026, and under long-term contracts from January 2028.
One of the issues that remains unresolved is the introduction of prior authorisation for exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe and verification of its origin upon arrival at European ports to avoid the import of Russian gas.
This EU plan will also oblige Hungary and Slovakia, two countries that still import Russian oil, to develop national plans to end these imports by 2028.
As reported by Ukrinform, members of the European Parliament are discussing the possibility of accelerating the complete abandonment of Russian energy sources.