Since June 17, short-term contracts for Russian pipeline gas can no longer feed the European Union market. Poland, holding no active deals with Moscow, will not use the permit mechanism that allows exceptions to the ban, leaving the country outside the new system.
The new rules address agreements concluded before June 17, 2025 and mark the latest stage of the EU strategy to end dependence on Russian energy resources. With each step, the remaining channels for Russian supplies grow narrower, as further restrictions are already scheduled for 2027.
– From this moment, Russian gas delivered via pipelines under existing short-term contracts can no longer flow to the EU market. We are consistently eliminating the remaining sources of Russian gas from our energy system. Our goal is a complete end to imports – said Dan Jørgensen, EU Energy Commissioner, in social media posts.
Poland sees no reason for permits
The legal basis for the ban lies in the REPowerEU regulation, which sets binding dates for phasing out both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas of Russian origin. Under the rules, temporary permits are the only possible exception, and they may be granted solely for contracts concluded before June 17, 2025.
That solution will not be applied in Poland. The country has no valid contracts for Russian gas supplies, so the authorities will not issue any permits under the new system.
REPowerEU also requires prior approvals for natural gas imports from outside the EU, although Russia is excluded from that obligation. Some deliveries are exempt from the approval requirement.
Further deadlines come in 2027
The next milestone is January 1, 2027, when a ban on long-term contracts for Russian LNG imports takes effect. Long-term pipeline gas agreements, in turn, must be wound down by September 30, 2027, at the latest. In exceptional cases, the deadline may move to November 1 if member states have trouble filling storage before the heating season.
The International Energy Agency believes Russia will most likely not regain the leading position in the global gas market that it held before launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Source: WNP.PL, Photo: Shutterstock/Jordi C
