-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
The European Commission has removed a long-awaited proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports from its April agenda.
The presentation of the legal plan, originally scheduled for April 15, has been taken off the calendar. The proposal is a key part of the REPowerEU roadmap, a strategic plan designed to end the European Union's energy dependence on Russia, according to Reuters on March 24.
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The EU has already reached an agreement to permanently stop importing Russian gas, with the final deliveries expected by autumn 2027. The plan to end Russian oil imports was also set for completion by the end of 2027.
However, the specific legislative steps to finalize this ban are currently without a firm date.
"I do not have a new date that I can provide. I can assure you that we remain committed to this proposal," stated Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the European Commission spokesperson for energy.
By the last quarter of 2025, the EU had already reduced its Russian oil imports to just 1% of its total supply. This significant decrease followed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The European Union aims to write this total rejection of Russian oil into law to ensure the ban remains in place, even if a future peace agreement regarding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine leads to the lifting of other sanctions.
The European Commission ruled out easing the EU’s ban on Russian gas despite renewed political pressure tied to rising energy costs. This pushback arrived after some European leaders called for a return to cheaper energy sources.
However, Brussels rejected that logic and stressed that the bloc’s phaseout of Russian energy had become a binding law rather than a temporary political commitment.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")