On Tuesday 15 July, MEPs from the Trade (INTA) and Industry (ITRE) Committees held talks with the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, on the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation to put an end to Russian gas imports into the EU by 1 January 2028.
While the co-rapporteurs, Inese Vaidere (EPP, Latvian), for INTA, and Ville Niinistö (Greens/EFA, Finnish), for ITRE, welcomed the initiative, as they indicated in an explanatory note - which Agence Europe is publishing - they also cited areas for improvement.
In particular, they call for consideration to be given to bringing forward by one year the deadline for the complete elimination of Russian gas, to 1 January 2027.
“This can be achieved without driving up prices or creating supply shortages. Global LNG supply is increasing rapidly, while new gas demand is steadily falling over the long term. As a result, only a small proportion of current Russian imports will need to be replaced”, explained Ms Vaidere.
She also insisted on working quickly to ensure that the regulation comes into force, as planned, on 1 January 2026 (see EUROPE 13680/17).
The two rapporteurs also asked the Commission to justify why the proposal does not include a formal elimination of Russian oil and its derivatives, and asked to comment on the proposal on nuclear fuel, which was not included in the regulation presented on 17 June (see EUROPE 13661/5).
On this point, Commissioner Jørgensen indicated that it was necessary to ensure that there were no problems with security of supply. “We’re very close to being able to present it”, he revealed.
He also sought to reassure about the emergency clause that would allow Russian imports to be used again, saying that this clause could “only be triggered with the approval of the Commission and in very special circumstances”. He also responded to concerns about the effective recognition of “force majeure” as a means of terminating current contracts, stating that the Commission saw no legal risk in this.
Finally, Mr Jørgensen pointed out that it would be a “huge mistake” if the EU were to resume importing Russian gas following a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
Amendments due on 18 July. In their explanatory note, the rapporteurs indicated that joint amendments had not yet been published at this early stage, “given the complexity of the legislative dossier”.
They are also calling for the regulation to remain “robust” and for any provisions that introduce ambiguity or are likely to compromise the general objective to be “revised or deleted”.
The deadline for tabling amendments is 18 July.
To see the draft report: https://aeur.eu/f/hvt (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)