The European Union imported liquid gas from Russia worth around 4.48 billion euros in the first half of the year. This is almost a third more than the same period of the previous year. Don’t the sanctions work?
Why continues to flow from Russia into the EU?
Because of the high dependencies on the energy source gas, the EU Commission has not yet sanctioned the import of Russian natural gas, unlike the import of fossil fuels oil and coal. Since August 31, 2022, no Russian gas has been flowing through the important pipeline Nordstream 1 to the European Union, but currently gas from Russia is currently still coming to the European community: as liquid gas (LNG) via tankers and through the Turkstream pipeline.
According to the EU Commission, gas deliveries from Russia accounted for almost 19 percent of all imports in 2024. Overall, according to the EU statistics authority Eurostat, the EU statistics authority, according to the natural and processed gas worth 15.6 billion euros, was imported from Russia. For comparison: from the USA, gas worth 19.1 billion euros came.
How long can Russia still deliver gas into the EU?
Against the background of the Russian attack war against Ukraine, which has been going on since February 2022, the EU Commission wants to completely prohibit the import of Russian gas into the EU: from 2028, according to the agency of the authority, no gas from Russia is no longer due.
According to a commission proposal, the ban should apply for long -term delivery contracts from January 1, 2028. The Commission wants to ban gas imports as part of short -term contracts in a year, from June 17, 2026. If Russian gas is still obtained on the basis of now completed, new contracts, this should no longer be introduced from January 1, 2026.
The basis for the plans should be EU trade and EU energy law. The proposal must still be negotiated by the EU countries and the EU Parliament. At the state level, the approval of 15 out of 27 EU countries is required, which together make up at least 65 percent of the total population of the EU.
Are German companies also affected?
If the import restrictions are proposed as proposed by the Commission, the federal German energy company Sefe is also affected. Based on an existing, long -term contract, it further imports liquid gas from Russia into the EU.
The company Sefe used to be called Gazprom Germania, was a daughter of the Russian state corporation Gazprom and was nationalized as a result of the Russian war war on Ukraine and the energy crisis in Germany.
What exactly the import ban for SEFE means is still unclear: “A final assessment of the effects of the European Commission’s Ordinance on the phase-out of Russian energy imports is only possible when it is finalized,” said the company.
Does the ban have consequences for consumers in Germany?
According to the European Commission, consumers don’t have to worry. The measures should be implemented gradually and in coordination with the EU countries to minimize effects on prices.
Since the Russian attack war on Ukraine, the prices for natural gas in Germany and Europe have increased significantly. Natural gas is one of the most important energy sources for private households and industry in Germany. The majority are imported from abroad.
According to an analysis by the EU authority, the remaining gas quantities from Russia could expire without risks to security. There are enough alternative providers on the global gas market. Nevertheless, the commission proposal contains a kind of security clause if the security of supply of one or more Member States could be seriously endangered. Under these circumstances, the Commission could then allow one or more EU countries affected to suspend the import bans for gas.
