BRUSSELS — The EU should consider ending its Russian gas imports in 2026, a year earlier than planned, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator for Brussels’ phaseout bill told POLITICO.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, last month unveiled a landmark legal proposal to end the bloc’s Russian gas imports by 2027, seeking to sever the EU’s final energy ties to Moscow.
But “we would be interested in looking at” a 2026 deadline, said Ville Niinistö, a Greens MEP who will helm the Parliament’s work on the bill in the coming months.
“The Parliament’s role here is to scrutinize the proposal and make sure that it’s as rigid as possible,” he added. “Legally speaking, we are going to check … [whether] those timetables are strict enough or can they be hastened.”
