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EU Pushes to Seal Loopholes in Russian Gas Ban as 2027 Deadline Nears
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
European Union member states are considering new rules to prevent Russian natural gas from slipping into the bloc’s energy market once a full ban takes effect by the end of 2027, Bloomberg reported on September 1.
Denmark, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, has put forward a compromise proposal requiring gas importers to prove their supplies are not of Russian origin, according to a document reviewed by Bloomberg. The plan singles out risks linked to TurkStream, the pipeline that delivers Russian gas into Southeast Europe.
“Natural gas entering the Union through borders or interconnection points between the Union and Russia or Belarus and through the interconnection point Strandzha 2 / Malkoclar (TurkStream) shall be presumed to be exported, directly or indirectly, from the Russian Federation, unless unambiguous evidence [is provided],” the Danish draft states.
The proposal reflects growing EU concerns that Russian gas could still be disguised as non-Russian through swaps or blending with other supplies—a process notoriously difficult to track once fuel changes hands multiple times before reaching consumers.
Under the EU’s phased ban, imports under short-term contracts of less than one year must end by June 17, 2026, while longer-term deals will be prohibited by the close of 2027. Exemptions are planned for landlocked nations such as Hungary and Slovakia.
Denmark aims to secure consensus among EU governments by October, before entering talks with the European Parliament to finalize the legislation by year’s end.
Earlier, a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project docked at a Chinese import terminal for the first time—a move likely to test Washington’s stance on energy sanctions as Moscow scrambles to push its fuel into Asia.
