According to the Reuters news agency, the European Parliament is considering proposals to accelerate the bloc's refusal of Russian gas by one year - until January 2027.
Points of attention
- While there might be resistance from governments, EU legislators have the opportunity to push for these changes and ensure compliance with the ban on Russian gas.
- Key figures like Inese Weidere and Ville Niinisto are actively involved in driving these proposals to accelerate the rejection of Russian gas and strengthen energy security in the European Union.
What is known about the European Union's plans?
Official Brussels is preparing for a detailed discussion of the plan to ban Russian gas imports.
This time, EU authorities will be guided by the legal proposal that the European Commission put forward last month.
This is about an absolute refusal to import Russian gas until January 1, 2028.
Leading lawmakers have proposed extending this deadline to January 1, 2027. The proposals were submitted by MEPs Inese Weidere of the center-right European People's Party and Ville Niinisto of the Greens.
There is currently a low probability that governments will agree to move the ban on Russian gas forward a year.
Despite this, the bloc's lawmakers have the opportunity to use this demand as leverage to secure other changes in the negotiations.
For example, Weidere proposes obliging EU governments to impose sanctions against companies that violate the ban, including by revoking licenses for energy trading.
