The Digester

Brussels has postponed a mid-April legal proposal to lock in a full phase-out of Russian oil by the end of 2027, saying the move will be published later amid geopolitical shocks to global energy markets.

The European Commission will not submit the planned April 15 proposal to permanently ban Russian oil as scheduled.
An EU official said the proposal has not been cancelled and will be published at a later date due to current geopolitical developments.
The delay followed Middle East strikes involving the US and Israel that the IEA says have caused the largest oil supply disruption in history and pushed crude prices higher.
The draft would enshrine a full phase-out of Russian oil by no later than end-2027.
By the final quarter of 2025 the EU was importing about 1 percent of its oil from Russia, so the measure has little immediate impact on physical supplies.
Brussels wants the phase-out written into law so it remains in place even if a future peace deal prompts sanctions to be lifted.

EU delays legal proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports

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