The European Commission is considering plans that would allow European companies to break long-term Russian gas contracts without paying penalties to Moscow, it has been reported. Citing three officials with knowledge of the plan, the Financial Times reported that the commission was studying the possibility of allowing companies to declare force majeure, which would absolve importers of their obligations to pay penalty fees for ending contracts. The plans are reported to be part of a roadmap on how the EU will rid itself of Russian fossil fuels by 2027, a document scheduled to be published on 6 May, following repeated delays. A commission spokesperson declined to comment. The commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said last month at a press conference, when asked about the delays, that she was committed to phasing out Russian gas: “This is absolute must.” EU leaders pledged to end dependency on Russian oil and gas in 2022, amid widespread concern that these revenues were funding Russia’s war against Ukraine. The EU imported just under 52bn cubic metres of Russian gas in 2024, compared with 150bn cubic metres in 2021, according to EU statistics. But within the most recent figures, Europe bought a record amount of Russian liquified natural gas last year, and Russian gas imports increased by 18% , according to energy thinktank Ember. Pipeline imports also continue, despite the end of gas flows through Ukraine on 1 January 2025 when a transit deal expired. In February 2025, the EU received 56m cubic metres a day via the TurkStream pipeline, an 11% monthly increase. “These increases could threaten the 2027 Russian gas phase-out pathway,” Ember said, also referring to liquified natural gas (LNG). The US is Europe’s biggest supplier of LNG and officials have expressed interest in buying even more of the ultra-cold shipped fuel since Donald Trump returned to the White House. Meanwhile energy executives are openly talking about resuming Russian gas imports. “If there is a reasonable peace in Ukraine, we could go back to flows of 60bn cubic metres, maybe 70, annually, including LNG,” Didier Holleaux, executive vice-president at France’s Engie, told Reuters in an interview. The French government partly owns Engie, which used to be among the biggest buyers of Gazprom’s gas. In Germany, businesses are also said to be interested in restarting Russian gas imports, which used to provide 55% of its supply and helped factories run at competitive prices. “Reopening pipelines would reduce prices more than any current subsidy programmes,” Christof Guenther, managing director of InfraLeuna chemical park, home to Dow Chemical and Shell, told Reuters. He added that many colleagues agreed on the need to go back to Russian gas: “It’s a taboo topic.”
Author: Jennifer Rankin in Brussels