Questions and answers on the REPowerEU proposal to phase out Russian gas imports and improve monitoring of potential energy dependencies

European Commission - Questions and answers Questions and answers on the REPowerEU proposal to phase out Russian gas imports and improve monitoring of potential energy dependencies Strasbourg, 17 June 2025 Why is the Commission proposing to fully phase out Russian fossil fuel imports? The decades-long reliance on Russian energy imports has made the EU vulnerable to supply disruptions and price fluctuations, which have had a far-reaching impact on the entire economy. Russia has proven to be an unreliable partner by systematically weaponising gas supplies and manipulating energy markets, to the detriment of the European Union's economic security and growth prospects. Russia's unlawful full-scale invasion of Ukraine fully exposed the dramatic consequences of the existing overdependencies on Russian energy imports, especially gas, on markets and security. The war has severely disrupted global supply chains, triggered substantial increases in energy prices, and introduced considerable volatility into the markets. Since Russia's unjustified aggression on Ukraine started, the EU has significantly reduced dependencies and energy imports from Russia under the REPowerEU Plan launched in 2022. Gas imports (both LNG and pipeline) from Russia have decreased significantly from 45% in 2021 to 19% in 2024. Projections point to a further fall to 13% in 2025 with the end of the Russian gas transit via Ukraine. Thanks to EU sanctions, Russian oil imports have also shrunk, from 27% at...