The Council of the European Union has adopted its position on a draft regulation to phase out gas imports from Russia under the REPowerEU Roadmap.
The proposal aims to end the EU’s reliance on Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) following energy market disruptions linked to Moscow. It sets a legally binding, phased ban on imports, culminating in a full ban from 1 January 2028.
Imports of Russian gas will be prohibited from 1 January 2026. Short-term contracts may continue until June 2026, while long-term ones may extend to January 2028. Existing contracts can only be amended for limited operational reasons and not to increase volumes.
While Russian oil imports have fallen below 3%, Russian gas still accounts for around 13% of the EU supply in 2025, valued at more than €15 billion annually.
“This is a breakthrough moment for Europe’s energy transition,” Dries Acke, Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe, said in a statement.
“We applaud the Energy Council’s decisive step to completely phase out Russian gas imports and accelerate the transition towards homegrown renewables. This is not only vital for Europe’s energy security and independence but also a powerful move to stop financing Russia’s war machine.”
How will this impact the solar industry?
From January 2025, various branches of the European Union kick-started the bloc’s efforts to phase out reliance on Russia’s oil and gas. This was driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; in March 2022, EU leaders decided to phase out their dependency on Russian fossil fuels.
Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, said at the Norges Bank Climate Conference this week:
“The war in Ukraine further exposed Europe’s energy dependencies as strategic vulnerabilities, driving up gas prices after the cut-off of the Russian pipeline supply… We need energy that is secure – because the geopolitical reality has changed. We need energy that is sustainable – because the climate reality has not changed.”
Various solar industry bodies, such as SolarPower Europe, have noted that accelerating the deployment of renewable technologies such as solar is crucial to ending that dependence.
As the bloc moves away from Russian oil and gas, solar energy has a defined role to play in securely closing the gap – and has the added benefit of futureproofing the global power system against energy crises.
October analysis from Think Tank Ember highlighted that solar and wind energy met all the world’s electricity demand growth in the first half of the year, causing fossil fuel reliance to dip slightly.
“Imported fossil fuels are no basis for a secure and affordable energy system – something Europe has learned the hard way,” Study author and Senior Energy Analyst for Ember, Dr Chris Rosslowe, said.
“Homegrown energy sources, such as wind and solar, take on more strategic value in a world faced by frequent crises.”
Potential hurdles
The EU moving away from Russian oil and gas imports is a valuable step towards the accelerated rollout of renewable energy. However, energy independence should remain a priority that drives electrification successfully, encouraged by the EU’s upcoming Electrification Action Plan.
As of October 2025, just over 1/5 of the bloc’s energy demand is electrified, with the EU’s primary energy supply coming from imported fossil fuels. In lieu of Russia, the EU has developed heavy dependence on the USA, Norway, and Qatar.
A report from Ember noted that renewable energy has the potential to halve the EU’s reliance on these imports by half by 2040.
[Infographic credit: European Council of the European Union]
