In a new attempt at a compromise published on Thursday 28 August and obtained by Agence Europe, the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU has introduced a provision to take account of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced in different countries and mixed in the same cargo.
The proposal will be discussed further at the meeting of national energy experts on 2 September.
Thus, where importers can “unambiguously” document the respective shares of LNG produced outside Russia and in Russia, “the import of the non-Russian LNG part contained in an LNG cargo should be permitted, as this does not fall under the scope of the prohibition”, the proposal highlights.
It also specifies that the regulation must provide an ex-ante mechanism for verifying the country of production, particularly in cases where the gas has been processed (e.g. liquefied or regasified).
Under the proposal, importers would have to inform the competent authorities in advance of their intended imports into the EU and provide them with the information needed to verify the country of origin.
This provision would not apply to importers from partner countries that have banned the import of Russian gas or that have introduced restrictive measures concerning Russian gas.
In addition, the Danish Presidency states that the Commission should draw up a list of these partner countries within five days of the regulation coming into force, and update it if necessary.
In addition, the proposal once again leaves the date of 1 January 2026 in square brackets for the ban on new Russian gas contracts (concluded after 17 June 2025) (see EUROPE 13684/1). It also explicitly states that this ban must also apply to LNG that originates in the Russian Federation or that is “exported, directly or indirectly, from the Russian Federation contained in mixtures”.
The Danish Presidency hopes to reach a decision by the Energy Council on 20 October.
To see the Danish Presidency’s proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/i7p (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)