The European Union to set the date of 2027 to cut energy contracts with Russia

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The European Commission will set the date of 2027 for European Union companies to cut any remaining energy contracts with Russia and turn into other sources, including the United States, according to officials.

The plan that will be announced on Tuesday was guarded before it was published by senior European Union officials, cautious about its potential impact on the energy market. It represents the intensification of the mass The efforts made to the Russian fossil fuel smile Since Moscow is full Ukraine invasion In 2022.

While Russian oil and coal are subject to strict sanctions, the European Union has struggled to ban gas imports due to the opposition of pro -Russian governments such as Hungary and Slovakia, which argues in doing so that would increase energy prices.

Four officials who have seen the committee document said that they would require companies to end all the immediate market gas contracts with Russian suppliers by the end of this year and end all long -term contracts by 2027.

The measures, which were announced once announced, aim to agree to most of the member states of the European Union and the European Parliament, to circumvent the bloc’s need for unanimous approval from member states to impose gas sanctions. Hungary and Slovakia said they would prevent any sanctions.

Three officials said that Brussels would also press for greater supervision of commercial contracts in order to track buyers from Russian fuel.

Before 2022, the European Union obtained more than five pipe gas imports and about 28 percent of crude oil imported from Russia. Russia’s share has since decreased to about 13 percent of gas imports, including liquefied natural gas, and less than 3 percent of oil imports.

Despite a significant decrease in pipeline gas, the European Union has increased its imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia, with shipments Stroke of the record levels last year.

According to KPLER, a data and analysis company, there were 17 shipments from the Yamal LNG factory in Russia to the European Union destinations in April. Ships transferred 1.2 million tons of LNG to the mass, with about 59 percent of the goods that are delivered to France and 23 percent to Belgium. The rest went to the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

Unlike Hungary and Slovakia, other member states, including the Netherlands and Belgium, said they would support sanctions on Russian gas as a means of forcing companies to reduce their Russian contracts.

“This batch will not be easy to reach zero,” said a senior diplomat in the European Union, adding that companies will have to pay more for gas if they are prevented from buying from Russia. “If you want to raise all secrecy on commercial contracts, there will be a price for that.”

The diplomat said it would be difficult to prevent the defrauding the proposed rules, such as the gas that is sent via the TURKSTREAM pipeline from Azerbaijan, but it is possible that the offer is from Russia.

The officials said that the committee’s document is partially aimed at indicating Washington that the European Union is ready to buy more LNG in the United States as part of a deal to reduce its trade deficit.

The gradual disposal plan will also cover nuclear fuel and spare parts. Finland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary depend on various domains on Russian nuclear technology.

All of these things, except for Hungary, have signed contracts with the American nuclear company Westinghouse to replace Russian fuel bars, but the parts are still difficult to replace a few non -Russian manufacturers with spare parts for the Soviet -style reactors.

One of the European Union officials said that the road map aims to ensure “member states” face “difficulties” if they maintain their Russian contracts.

Bloomberg first reported the date of gradual disposal 2027.

Additional reports by Paula Tama in Brussels and Chris Cook in London