The unlawful full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022 revealed the dramatic consequences of the existing dependencies on Russian natural gas for markets and security. In their Versailles Declaration of 11 March 2022, Heads of State or Government therefore agreed to gradually decrease and eventually fully eliminate the dependency on Russian energy. In its REPowerEU Communication of 8 March 2022 entitled REPowerEU: Joint European Action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy and in its Communication of 18 May 2022 on the REPowerEU Plan the Commission proposed concrete measures to allow for the full diversification away from Russian energy imports in a safe, affordable and sustainable manner. Significant progress in the process of diversifying gas supplies away from the Russian Federation has been achieved since then. As the remaining volumes of Russian natural gas entering the Union are still significant, in its Communication of 6 May 2025 on the Roadmap towards ending Russian energy imports (REPowerEU Roadmap), the Commission announced a legislative proposal to fully phase out Russian gas imports and to improve the existing framework for addressing energy dependencies. In order to ensure energy security and resilience of the Union, it is urgent and strategically needed to address all remaining energy dependencies mentioned in the REPowerEU Roadmap.
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