On May 6th local time, EU Commissioner for Energy Affairs Dan Jørgensen officially announced the EU's roadmap to phase out imports of Russian energy at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, France. This plan sets 2027 as the final deadline by which the 27 EU member states must completely stop purchasing energy from Russia, covering multiple energy categories from natural gas to nuclear materials.
According to the plan, the EU will adopt a phased strategy to gradually reduce and eventually sever ties with Russian energy. In the first stage, from now until the end of 2025, signing any new short-term gas contracts will be prohibited to curb members' reliance on Russian energy in short-term transactions. In the second stage, by the end of 2027, existing long-term contracts, which currently account for about two-thirds of Russia's gas exports to Europe, will be terminated.
In addition to natural gas, the EU will also crack down on the use of "shadow fleets" to evade sanctions and secretly transport Russian oil. Relevant restrictions will strengthen supervision and enforcement to eliminate gray import channels. Simultaneously, the EU plans to completely stop importing uranium and other nuclear materials from Russia, marking a key step in "de-Russifying" EU nuclear energy.
As a necessary complement to implementing this strategy, each EU member state must develop and submit a detailed national action plan outlining how it will remove Russian gas, oil, and nuclear energy from its energy structure. These national plans will serve as the core basis for EU coordination in advancing the "Energy Derussification" and will directly affect the speed and direction of energy transitions in each country.
This decision marks another significant move in EU energy policy since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although the EU has previously significantly reduced imports of Russian oil and gas, some member states still face challenges in infrastructure, supply chains, and alternative energy deployment.
The EU stated that this plan is not only a response to geopolitical risks but also aligns with the strategic goals of green energy transition and long-term energy security.
