Reference Message Network reported on May 6th according to a report on the website of the Financial Times of the UK on May 5th. Officials said that the European Commission will set 2027 as the deadline for EU companies to terminate their remaining energy contracts with Russia and turn to other sources including the United States.
The plan is scheduled to be announced on June 7th. Before its announcement, senior EU officials have kept it strictly confidential for fear that it may affect the energy market. This marks the EU's accelerated efforts to摆脱 dependence on Russian fossil fuels since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.
Despite strict sanctions on Russian oil and coal, the EU has found it difficult to ban natural gas imports due to opposition from pro-Russian governments such as Hungary and Slovakia, which believe that doing so would drive up energy prices.
Four officials who have been briefed on the Commission's documents said that the document will require companies to terminate all spot market natural gas contracts with Russian suppliers by the end of this year and all long-term contracts by 2027.
The report said that once announced, these measures still need the approval of a majority of EU member states and the European Parliament, with the aim of bypassing the EU rule that requires the consent of all member states to implement natural gas sanctions. Hungary and Slovakia said they would block any sanctions action.
Three of the officials said that Brussels will also push relevant departments to strengthen supervision over commercial contracts in order to track buyers of Russian fuel.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7501198324935934499/
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