The EU will end its dependency on Russian energy by stopping the import of Russian gas and oil and phasing out Russian nuclear energy. The REPowerEU Roadmap, presented today by the European Commission, sets the path for the EUs full energy independence from Russia.
Despite progress made under the REPowerEU Plan and sanctions since Russias invasion of Ukraine, there was a rebound in Russian gas imports in 2024. More coordinated actions are needed as the overdependency on Russian energy imports poses a security risk.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated: The war in Ukraine has exposed the risks of blackmail, economic coercion, and price shocks. With REPowerEU, we have diversified our energy supply and drastically reduced Europes former dependency on Russian fossil fuels. Now its time for Europe to completely sever energy ties with an unreliable supplier.
The plan outlines a gradual removal of Russian oil, gas, and nuclear energy from EU markets in a coordinated and secure manner while promoting the energy transition. The measures are designed to ensure the security of the EUs energy supply and limit the impact on prices and markets.
By 2025, global LNG supplies are expected to grow rapidly as gas demand decreases. With the full implementation of the energy transition framework and the Action Plan for Affordable Energy, the EU is expected to replace up to 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas by 2030.
Todays roadmap will be followed by legislative proposals from the Commission next month.
A coordinated and stepwise phase-out of Russian energy supplies
The Commission will work with Member States to ensure that the EU-wide phaseout of Russian energy imports is gradual and well-coordinated. National plans must be prepared by the end of this year.
All measures will be accompanied by continuous efforts to accelerate our energy transition and diversify energy supplies, including the aggregation of gas demand and better use of infrastructure.
Regarding gas, upcoming proposals will improve the transparency, monitoring, and traceability of Russian gas across EU markets. New contracts with Russian gas suppliers will be prevented, and existing contracts will be terminated by the end of 2025.
Under the roadmap, the Commission will also propose new actions to address Russias shadow fleet transporting oil. For nuclear energy, upcoming proposals will include measures on Russian imports of enriched uranium.
Background
The plan builds on the EUs immediate response to tackle the consequences of Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine, the REPowerEU Plan, introduced in May 2022. It highlighted the EUs determination to phase out Russian energy while accelerating the rollout of renewable energy and improving energy savings and efficiency.
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