The European Commission’s proposal for a regulation on the gradual cessation of Russian gas imports into the European Union (EU) applies only to member states of the bloc, and not to third countries, which means that Serbia will be able to import Russian gas, but it must not end up in Hungary, said European Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen in Brussels today.
Itkonen told reporters that Russian gas intended for third countries is not covered by the proposed regulation, unlike Russian gas intended for EU member states.
“The regulation does not apply to Serbia; it can import Russian gas for its own needs. But if that Russian gas continues its journey from Serbia to Hungary, the regulation begins to apply and Hungarian customs authorities must check whether the gas coming from Serbia is of Russian origin or not,” Itkonen said.
On Tuesday, the European Commission proposed a regulation that prohibits the import of Russian gas under new contracts from January 1, 2026, while gas imports under existing short-term contracts would be suspended by June 17, 2026.
As a concession to Hungary and Slovakia, the Commission proposed that gas imports delivered by pipelines to landlocked countries, as well as imports under existing long-term contracts, be stopped by the end of 2027.
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Source: N1, Photo: ec.europa.eu