The European Commission’s proposed regulation for a gradual halt to Russian gas imports into the European Union applies only to member states, not to third countries. This means Serbia will be able to import Russian gas for its own needs, but this gas must not be re-exported to Hungary, European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen stated today in Brussels, reports RFE.
Itkonen told reporters that Russian gas intended for third countries is not covered by the proposed regulation, unlike Russian gas destined for EU member states.
“The regulation does not apply to Serbia; it can import Russian gas for its own needs,” Itkonen explained. “But if that Russian gas continues its journey from Serbia to Hungary, the regulation begins to apply, and Hungarian customs authorities must check whether the gas coming from Serbia is of Russian origin or not.”
Proposed EU Regulations and Serbia’s Dependence
The European Commission proposed a regulation on June 17 that would ban the import of Russian gas under new contracts starting January 1, 2026. Imports based on existing short-term contracts would be phased out by June 17, 2026.
As a concession to Hungary and Slovakia, the Commission proposed that gas imports delivered via pipelines to landlocked countries, as well as imports under existing long-term contracts, would be halted by the end of 2027.
Belgrade and Moscow have had long-term agreements for natural gas supplies for decades. The most recent one was reached in May 2022, amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Serbia remains dominantly dependent on Russian gas.
Gas has been one of the key arguments for official Belgrade’s refusal to join Western sanctions against Moscow following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
