The ban on the import of Russian natural gas by pipeline into the European Union under short-term contracts concluded before June 17, 2025, officially came into force today, ec.europa.eu reported.
This is another key phase of the EU's large-scale and phased plan (Regulation EU/261/2026) to completely end energy dependence on Russia.
All short-term contracts (with a duration of less than one year) for the import of Russian gas by pipeline, which previously benefited from a derogation, are now completely banned. This measure follows a ban on short-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) contracts that came into effect earlier this year – on April 25.
Since March 18, 2026, the EU has had a strict pre-authorization regime for all supplies, with companies required to prove the origin of the raw material and declare that it is not Russian.
The regulation provides for a phased “tightening of the tap“ in order to avoid shock price increases on the market.
A complete ban on the import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) under long-term contracts will come into force on January 1, 2027.
A complete and final ban on the import of Russian gas through pipelines under long-term contracts will also come into force on September 30, 2027.
November 1, 2027 is the absolute deadline for exceptions. Landlocked Member States can only request an extension until this date if they have serious difficulties filling their gas storage facilities.
The new European legislation provides for extremely harsh financial sanctions for companies and individuals who try to circumvent the embargo.
:For individuals, a minimum fine of €2.5 million. For companies, a minimum fine of €40 million, 3.5% of their global annual turnover or 300% of the value of the transaction itself (whichever is higher).
On June 15, the operator of the “Nord Stream 2“ (a subsidiary of „Gazprom“) has officially filed a case with the General Court of the EU requesting the annulment of these provisions, defining them as discriminatory.
When the regulation was voted on in Brussels, Hungary and Slovakia voted „against“ due to their strong dependence on Russian pipeline gas via „Turkish Stream“, while Bulgaria then voted „abstained“.
However, due to the specifics of the new rules, natural gas passing through „Turkish Stream“ is now presumed to be Russian, unless importers prove otherwise.