Recital (10)

The Commission has carefully assessed the impact on the Union and on its Member States of a possible prohibition on natural gas imports from the Russian Federation. In fact, preparatory work and several detailed analyses of the consequences of a total phase-out of Russian gas have been conducted and published since 2022, and the Commission could also draw upon a multitude of consultations with stakeholders, external experts and agencies, and studies on the effects of the phase-out of Russian gas. The Commission’s analysis showed that a phase-out of Russian natural gas imports, if introduced in a stepwise, coordinated and well-prepared manner and in a spirit of solidarity, is likely to have limited impact on energy prices in the Union, and that it will enhance and not endanger the security of the Union’s energy supply, due to the exit of an unreliable trading partner from the Union markets. As set out in the REPowerEU Roadmap, the implementation of the REPowerEU Plan has already reduced the Union’s dependencies on supplies from the Russian Federation, for instance by introducing measures to reduce gas demand or to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources, as well as by actively supporting the diversification of energy supplies and the increase of the bargaining power of the Union via joint gas purchasing. The Assessment of Impacts also showed that upfront coordination of diversification policies can avoid harmful effects on prices or supplies.