EU Releases Roadmap for Ending its Dependency on Russian Energy

The EU will end its dependency on Russian energy by stopping the import of Russian gas and oil and phasing out Russian nuclear energy, while ensuring stable energy supplies and prices across the Union with a new REPowerEU Roadmap.

Despite the significant progress achieved under the REPowerEU Plan and via sanctions since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in 2024 the EU saw a rebound in Russian gas imports. More coordinated actions are therefore needed, as the EU's overdependency on Russian energy imports is a security threat.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "The war in Ukraine has brutally exposed the risks of blackmail, economic coercion and price shocks. With REPowerEU, we have diversified our energy supply and drastically reduced Europe's former dependency on Russian fossil fuels. It is now time for Europe to completely cut off its energy ties with an unreliable supplier. And energy that comes to our continent should not pay for a war of aggression against Ukraine. We owe this to our citizens, to our companies and to our brave Ukrainian friends."

The roadmap sets out a gradual removal of Russian oil, gas and nuclear energy from the EU markets. The measures have been designed to preserve the security of the EU's energy supply while limiting any impact on prices and markets.

New contracts with suppliers of Russian gas (pipeline and LNG) will be prevented, and existing spot contracts will be stopped by the end of 2025. This measure will ensure that already by the end of this year, the EU will have slashed by one third remaining supplies of Russian gas. The Commission will further propose to stop all remaining imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027.  

Under the Roadmap, the Commission will also put forward new actions to address Russia's shadow fleet transporting oil.

The proposals coming next month will include measures on Russian imports of enriched uranium as well as restrictions on new supply contracts co-signed by the Euratom Supply Agency (ESA) for uranium, enriched uranium and other nuclear materials deriving from Russia. A European Radioisotopes Valley Initiative is also envisaged to secure EU supply of medical radioisotopes through increased own production.

Measures taken so far have reduced the volumes of imported Russian gas from 150 bcm in 2021 to 52 bcm in 2024 – with the share of Russian gas imports dropping from 45% to 19%. All imports of Russian coal have been banned by sanctions; oil imports have shrunk from 27% at the beginning of 2022 to 3% now. In nuclear, Member States that are still using Russian-designed VVER reactors have made progress in replacing Russian nuclear fuel with fuel from other producers.

“Today the EU shows strength and resolution. The message to Russia is clear: “No more shall you blackmail our Member States. No more shall Euros go into your war chest. Your gas will be banned. Your shadow fleet will be stopped. We do this to preserve our security. But it is also an important step towards becoming energy independent. Producing our own clean affordable energy instead of importing expensive fossils fuels,” says Dan Jørgensen, Commissioner for Energy and Housing.