Sittings · Document
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
12.12.2025 A10-0195/3
Amendment 3
Markus Buchheit
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A10-0195/2025
Inese Vaidere
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
(COM(2025)0828 – C10-0123/2025 – 2025/0180(COD))
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
| (1) 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 on markets and security. In their Versailles Declaration of 11 March 2022, Heads of States therefore agreed to gradually decrease and eventually fully remove the dependency on Russian energy. The REPowerEU Communication of 8 March 20223 and the REPowerEU Plan of 18 May 20224 proposed concrete measures to allow the full diversification away from Russian energy imports in a safe, affordable and sustainable manner. Significant progress in the process to diversify gas supplies away from Russia was achieved since then. As the remaining volumes of Russian natural gas entering the Union are still significant, the Commission announced in its REPower Roadmap towards ending Russian energy imports of 6 May 2025 a legislative proposal to fully phase out Russian gas imports and to improve the existing framework for energy dependencies. | (1) 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 on markets and security. In their Versailles Declaration of 11 March 2022, Heads of States therefore agreed to gradually decrease and eventually fully remove the dependency on Russian energy. The REPowerEU Communication of 8 March 20223 and the REPowerEU Plan of 18 May 20224 proposed concrete measures to allow the full diversification away from Russian energy imports in a safe, affordable and sustainable manner. Significant progress in the process to diversify gas supplies away from Russia was achieved since then. |
| _________________ | _________________ |
| 3 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, REPowerEU: Joint European Action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy, COM(2022) 108 final, 8 March 2022. | 3 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, REPowerEU: Joint European Action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy, COM(2022) 108 final, 8 March 2022. |
| 4 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, REPowerEU Plan, COM(2022) 230 final, 18 May 2022. | 4 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, REPowerEU Plan, COM(2022) 230 final, 18 May 2022. |
Or. en
Justification
From the ESN perspective, such political objectives cannot prejudge the legislative outcome and should not be framed as the necessary consequence of the current Regulation.
12.12.2025 A10-0195/4
Amendment 4
Markus Buchheit
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A10-0195/2025
Inese Vaidere
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
(COM(2025)0828 – C10-0123/2025 – 2025/0180(COD))
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
| (2) Multiple examples of unannounced and unjustified supply reductions and interruptions already before the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, and the weaponisation of energy by the Russian Federation since then, show that the Russian Federation systematically used existing dependencies on Russian gas supplies to harm the Union’s economy. This leads to serious negative effects on Member States and the Union’s economic security in general. The Russian Federation and its energy companies can therefore no longer be considered reliable energy trading partners by the Union. | deleted |
Or. en
Justification
Recital (2) contains a far‑reaching political assessment of one specific third country and its companies, going beyond what is necessary to explain the legal framework of the Regulation. From the ESN perspective, legislative acts should avoid categorical political value judgements on individual trading partners and focus instead on general principles and rules. The recital should therefore be deleted.
12.12.2025 A10-0195/5
Amendment 5
Sarah Knafo, Markus Buchheit
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A10-0195/2025
Inese Vaidere
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
(COM(2025)0828 – C10-0123/2025 – 2025/0180(COD))
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 a (new)
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
| (11 a) Recalls that, unlike hydrocarbons such as gas and oil, it is possible to store the equivalent of several years of nuclear fuel consumption. This characteristic makes it possible to avoid exposure to geopolitical fluctuations and to ensure genuine energy sovereignty. |
Or. en
12.12.2025 A10-0195/6
Amendment 6
Markus Buchheit
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A10-0195/2025
Inese Vaidere
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
(COM(2025)0828 – C10-0123/2025 – 2025/0180(COD))
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
| (16) While it appears justified to exempt existing “legacy” contracts from the immediate application, not all contracts entered into before the entry into force of this Regulation should benefit from such exemption. Indeed, there may be an incentive by Russian suppliers to use the time between the publication of this proposal until the entry into force of the ban to increase current supplies, by concluding new contracts, increasing volumes by changing existing contracts or using flexibilities under existing contracts. In order to ensure that imports from Russia do not increase but decrease as a result of the proposed Regulation, measures should be included in the Regulation to avoid a “rush” for new Russian gas imports in the time between the adoption of this proposal and the entry into force of the ban. Indeed, the commitment from Heads of State to phase out gas supplies was already made in March 2022; it was renewed in the REPowerEU Strategy, the REPowerEU Plan and the REPowerEU Roadmap. At the latest with the publication of the proposal for this Regulation, it is no longer appropriate consider contracts concluded after that date as “legacy” contracts. Contracts concluded after 17 June 2025 should therefore not benefit from the exceptional transition provisions for existing short and long-term contracts. | (16) Adjustments to existing contracts which are necessary to ensure security of supply or to adapt to market developments should not, as such, be considered as new contracts. |
Or. en
12.12.2025 A10-0195/7
Amendment 7
Markus Buchheit
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A10-0195/2025
Inese Vaidere
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
(COM(2025)0828 – C10-0123/2025 – 2025/0180(COD))
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
| (17) In order to avoid that import volumes provided for in existing supply contracts are increased and not decreased, amendments to existing supply contracts should be considered as new contracts for the purposes of this Regulation, and increases of import volumes by using contractual flexibilities should not benefit from the transition period. | deleted |
Or. en
Justification
Aligns the recital with the operative provision protecting existing contracts and their adjustments
12.12.2025 A10-0195/8
Amendment 8
Markus Buchheit
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A10-0195/2025
Inese Vaidere
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
(COM(2025)0828 – C10-0123/2025 – 2025/0180(COD))
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
| (18) This Regulation creates a clear legal prohibition to import Russian natural gas, constituting a sovereign act of the Union beyond the control of gas importers and rendering the performance of natural gas imports from Russia unlawful, with direct legal effect and without any discretion for Member States concerning its application. | deleted |
Or. en
Justification
Removes the explicit statement that the Regulation introduces an EU wide, mandatory prohibition of Russian gas imports without discretion for Member States, which contradicts the ESN objective of preserving national energy sovereignty.
12.12.2025 A10-0195/9
Amendment 9
Markus Buchheit
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A10-0195/2025
Inese Vaidere
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
(COM(2025)0828 – C10-0123/2025 – 2025/0180(COD))
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
| (20) In particular, importers of natural gas should be obliged to provide customs authorities with all information necessary to establish the origin and the point of export of natural gas imported into the Union and to decide whether the imported gas falls under the general prohibition or one of its exceptions. As the contractual conditions determining the elements relevant for the assessment of the customs authorities are often complex, customs authorities should be given the power to ask importers for detailed contract information, including entire supply contracts, excluding price information, where this is necessary to understand the context of certain clauses or references to other contractual provisions. The Regulation should include rules to ensure an effective protection of business secrets of concerned undertakings. | (20) In order to verify the origin and the place of export of natural gas imported into the Union and to determine whether such imports fall under the general prohibition or one of its exceptions, the competent national authorities should be able, where justified, to request from importers the information necessary in a specific case. Such requests should be duly reasoned and limited to what is strictly required for the assessment in question, and should respect the protection of business secrets and commercially sensitive information. The Regulation should include rules to ensure an effective protection of business secrets of concerned undertakings. |
Or. en
Justification
This amendment narrows information obligations to duly reasoned, case‑by‑case requests by national authorities, instead of broad routine transmission of complete contracts. It ensures that monitoring of imports remains proportionate and that business secrets and commercially sensitive information of undertakings are effectively protected
12.12.2025 A10-0195/10
Amendment 10
Markus Buchheit
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A10-0195/2025
Inese Vaidere
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
(COM(2025)0828 – C10-0123/2025 – 2025/0180(COD))
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
| (23) Experience with the announced phase out of gas supplies via Ukraine has shown that good preparation and coordination in a spirit of solidarity can effectively avoid market disruptions or security of supply problems potentially resulting from changing gas suppliers. To prepare for the full phase out of Russian gas in 2028 in a coordinated manner and to give the market sufficient time to anticipate the changes involved without risk for security of gas supply or a significant impact on energy prices, Member States should prepare national diversification plans and present them by 1 March 2026. Those plans should describe intended measures at national or regional level to reduce demand, foster renewable energy production and ensure alternative supplies, as well as possible technical or regulatory barriers which may complicate the diversification process. As the diversification process may require coordination of measures at national, regional or Union level, the Commission should assess the national diversification plans, with the possibility to issue recommendations suggesting adaptations where necessary. | deleted |
Or. en
Justification
This recital enshrines a fixed objective of a full phase‑out of Russian gas by 2028, imposes an obligation on Member States to draw up national diversification plans by a specific deadline and grants the Commission powers to assess and steer these plans through recommendations. From the ESN perspective, such commitments unduly interfere with Member States’ sovereignty in energy policy and go beyond a merely supportive and voluntary framework for diversification; the recital should therefore be deleted.
12.12.2025 A10-0195/11
Amendment 11
Markus Buchheit
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A10-0195/2025
Inese Vaidere
Phasing out Russian natural gas imports, improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938
(COM(2025)0828 – C10-0123/2025 – 2025/0180(COD))
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
| (24) In their Versailles Declaration, the Heads of Member States committed not only to phase out natural gas supplies from Russia, but also other energy supplies, notably oil supplies. While restrictive measures to ensure the phase out of oil imports from Russia are already in place, and oil imports have decreased significantly, a further phase out of Russian oil may require specific preparatory steps and coordination with neighbours. Member States should therefore prepare national diversification plans also for oil, with a possibility for the Commission to provide recommendations on those plans. | (24) In their Versailles Declaration, the Heads of Member States committed not only to phase out natural gas supplies from Russia, but also other energy supplies, notably oil supplies. While restrictive measures to ensure the phase out of oil imports from Russia are already in place, and oil imports have decreased significantly, a further phase out of Russian oil may require specific preparatory steps and coordination with neighbours. Member States may, on a voluntary basis, therefore prepare national diversification plans also for oil, with a possibility for the Commission to provide recommendations on those plans. |
Or. en
Justification
This amendment reflects that political commitments in the Versailles Declaration cannot create binding legal obligations for Member States in this Regulation. National diversification of oil supplies must remain a voluntary choice of each Member State, with the Commission limited to providing non‑binding recommendations.