The European Parliament today approved a plan to gradually phase out imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027, Reuters reported.
A total of 500 Members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the plan, 120 voted against it, and 30 abstained.
The plan must now be formally approved at a meeting of energy ministers from EU member states, which is expected to take place at the beginning of next year.
Under the plan, the European Union will suspend imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the end of 2026, and pipeline gas imports by the end of September 2027.
As of October this year, 12% of the gas imported by the EU originated from Russia—a significant decline compared to the 45% share prior to the start of the war in Ukraine.
Among the countries that still import Russian gas are Hungary, France, and Belgium.
At the end of October, the Council of the European Union approved a proposal for a regulation to gradually end imports of Russian natural gas, a key component of the REPowerEU plan aimed at eliminating the EU’s energy dependence on Russia.
