Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
The European Commission will no longer submit its planned legal proposal on April 15 to permanently ban Russian oil imports, according to an updated EU legislative agenda released Tuesday. An EU official said that the proposal has not been cancelled but will be delayed due to “current geopolitical developments,” including the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran, which the International Energy Agency has described as creating the largest oil supply disruption in history and sending global crude prices sharply higher.
The proposed legislation would legally enshrine a full phase-out of Russian oil imports by the end of 2027. While the EU has already legislated a phase-out of Russian gas imports by the same year, the oil measure is intended to ensure that sanctions remain in place even if a peace settlement in the Ukraine conflict leads to a future relaxation of restrictions.
Immediate effects on physical supplies are expected to be minimal, as Russian oil accounted for just 1% of EU imports in the final quarter of 2025, following steep cuts after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Most EU seaborne Russian oil imports have already been eliminated through existing sanctions.
Hungary and Slovakia remain the only EU countries still importing Russian oil as of late January. Disputes have arisen after Kyiv reported that a Russian drone strike disrupted pipeline infrastructure, delaying oil flows. Hungary and Slovakia have accused Ukraine of intentionally slowing the resumption of shipments, with Budapest using the issue to block an EU loan to Kyiv, highlighting the political complexities surrounding the proposed ban.
