Brussels, Sept. 19, 2025 (Lusa) - Portugal is one of eight European Union (EU) member states that will have to find alternatives to Russian gas imports by 1 January 2027 if the new package of sanctions proposed on Friday is approved.
The EU's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced on social media that one of the objectives of the 19th package of sanctions, approved today by the Commission and to be put to a vote in the EU Council, is to "accelerate the phasing out of Russian liquefied natural gas by 1 January 2027".
The countries that still import Russian gas are Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Portugal, mainly through the TurkStream pipeline and liquefied natural gas (by ship), as well as Greece, Slovakia, and Hungary, from the TurkStream pipeline," explained Energy Spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen.
In today's proposal, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also said that they are "banning imports of Russian LNG to European markets".
"It is time to turn off the tap," she stressed.
The 19th package of sanctions adopted today by the European Commission includes a further cut in Moscow's revenues from energy sales.
The package also aims to improve action against sanctions evasion, particularly through third countries, including cryptocurrencies.
On 17 June, the European Commission asked the EU member states to submit, by March 2026, national plans for the phasing out of Russian gas imports, with the aim of abandoning Russian fossil fuels by the end of 2027.
"Member states will have to submit diversification plans with specific measures and milestones for the phasing out of Russian gas and oil imports," the EU executive said at the time.
In 2024, the EU imported more than 100 billion cubic metres of LNG, and from this year onwards, global supply is expected to increase rapidly, while demand for gas is expected to decline.
European Commission data show that gas imports (both LNG and pipeline) from Russia to the EU fell from 45% in 2021 to 19% in 2024, with projections pointing to a further decline to 13% in 2025 due to the end of transit through Ukraine.
However, last year, the EU still imported 52 billion cubic metres of Russian gas (32 billion cubic metres via pipelines and 20 billion cubic metres via LNG shipment), as well as 13 million tonnes of crude oil and more than 2,800 tonnes of enriched uranium equivalent or in the form of fuel.
IG/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
