According to our information at the time of writing, Wednesday 15 October, the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU is still hoping that a qualified majority will be able to support the ‘REPowerEU’ regulation at the ‘Energy’ Council meeting in Luxembourg on 20 October, thanks in particular to some final minor adjustments.
While the latest compromise proposal on the regulation to ban all imports of Russian gas into the EU by the end of 2027 (see EUROPE 13724/6) met with the approval of most Member States (except Hungary and Slovakia), countries such as France, Spain and Italy still had certain comments or reservations. All it takes is for one of these three countries (plus Hungary and Slovakia) not to support the text for it to be rejected.
The latest concerns relate in particular to the authorisation process that customs authorities must undergo before importing LNG into the EU, but also to the legal basis for banning all Russian fossil fuels, in parallel with EU sanctions (see EUROPE 13726/22).
On Wednesday 8 October, the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU indicated that the compromise text would contain only minor changes before the ‘Energy’ Council.
According to one source, these would provide reassurance, in particular on the design of the ex-ante authorisation process and on the fact that the 19th sanctions package (banning Russian LNG by the end of 2026) (see EUROPE 13713/1) does not prejudice the content of the ‘REPowerEU’ regulation.
For the time being, France and Spain have made it clear that they do not yet have an official position and are waiting to see the final text. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)