The deadline for tabling amendments from MEPs on the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry (ITRE) and Committee on International Trade (INTA) to the proposed regulation to definitively ban Russian gas contracts by the end of 2027 was reached at 5 p.m. on Tuesday 22 July, after an initial postponement due to an IT problem.
Among the amendments tabled by certain EPP, S&D and Greens/EFA MEPs and seen by Agence Europe, before the final publication of the various amendments, these groups are seeking to abolish the emergency clause allowing the Commission to revoke the ban on Russian gas imports on a temporary basis.
Unlike the lead rapporteur for the Greens/EFA, Ville Niinistö (Finnish), and the S&D rapporteurs, Thomas Pellerin-Carlin (French) on ITRE, and Francisco Assis (Portuguese) on INTA, the EPP is not asking in its group amendments (https://aeur.eu/f/hzh ) to bring forward the final deadline for the definitive elimination of Russian gas imports to 1 January 2027. This was initially proposed by co-rapporteurs Ville Niinistö on ITRE and Inese Vaidere (EPP, Latvian) on INTA (see EUROPE 13681/21), whereas the Commission’s initial proposal set a date of 1 January 2028 (see EUROPE 13661/5).
The amendments by Thomas Pellerin-Carlin and Francisco Assis for the S&D also stress that contracts concluded before 6 May 2025, the date on which the Commission presented its ‘REPowerEU’ ‘roadmap’ (see EUROPE 13634/1), should be prohibited from 1 January 2027.
Instead, the Commission takes as a reference the date of 17 June 2025, when the proposal for a regulation was officially presented.
The S&D and Greens/EFA are also in favour of a ban on Russian oil imports from 1 January 2027. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)