MEPs have approved a landmark law that will gradually ban Russian gas imports into the EU, marking a major shift in Europe’s energy policy.

Under the new rules, spot-market Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be banned from early 2026, while pipeline gas imports will be fully phased out by September 2027.

Member states will also be required to enforce harmonised penalties on operators who breach the rules.

The legislation also sets the stage for an outright ban on Russian oil imports, with the European Commission committing to present proposals in early 2026, allowing the ban to take effect no later than late 2027.

MEPs pushed for tighter conditions to prevent emergency loopholes and stricter checks to stop companies from disguising the true origin of gas imports.

MEPs hailed the vote as a turning point. Finnish MEP Ville Niinistö called it a historic step toward ending Russia’s ability to weaponise energy supplies, while Latvian MEP Inese Vaidere said Europe was sending a clear message that it will no longer be dependent on Russian gas.

The law was adopted by a large majority in Parliament and now awaits final approval by the Council.

“This legislative proposal is a response to Russia’s systematic weaponisation of energy supplies, a pattern documented over nearly two decades and escalating with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The 2022 invasion came with further deliberate market manipulation, including Gazprom’s unprecedented under-filling of EU storage facilities and abrupt halts to pipelines, causing energy prices to spike by up to eight times their pre-crisis levels,” the European Parliament wrote on their website. 

With this vote, the EU is aiming to lock in energy security and prevent fossil fuels from ever being used as a political weapon again.

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