On 6 May, the European Commission sent a very clear message to Russia: No More.

No more will we permit Russia to weaponize energy against us. No more will we allow our Member States to be blackmailed. No more will we indirectly help to fill the war chest of the Kremlin.

Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, we have worked hard to stop all imports of Russian energy. And we have made good progress.

Before 2022, half the coal we used in the EU was from Russia. We have stopped these imports completely. On oil, we have gone from 26% to 3% during the same period. In 2022, 45% of our gas came from Russia. Today, it is 13%.

We have come far. But not far enough. Last year, the EU paid €23 billion to Russia for our energy imports. This needs to stop. We can no longer leave our economy, our society, and our security in the hands of Putin.

That is why the Commission has adopted a roadmap to finish the job of phasing out Russian energy imports.

By following the path set out in this roadmap, new gas contracts will be banned by the end of this year, thereby eliminating one third of today's imports from Russia. We will propose a further ban on remaining imports of Russian gas under existing long-term contracts, to take effect by the end of 2027.

Every Member State will put forward concrete plans to phase-out their imports of Russian energy. To support these efforts, we will introduce new rules to bring more transparency, by strengthening the monitoring and traceability of Russian gas.

In particular, we will tighten our grip on oil entering our market illegally via Russia's "shadow fleet". We will deploy missions to conduct surveillance and monitor maritime routes, identifying suspicious behaviours and deterring illegal maritime activities.

And our focus expands beyond fossil fuels. We will introduce new restrictions to phase out Russian imports of nuclear materials and strengthen our own European nuclear supply chains.

All of the actions in our roadmap follow a step-by-step approach. We will do it together, in a gradual, coordinated way, maintaining security of supply and minimising impacts on prices

Where does this roadmap end? What is our final destination?

Ultimately, by the end of 2027, we aim to be completely free from Russian gas. Taken together, the measures in this roadmap will effectively remove all forms of Russian energy from EU markets. 

Reaching this goal will be no small feat. The path is not without challenges. But it can be done. And it needs to be done.

Not all of us import energy from Russia. But all of us are threatened by Russia's energy blackmail and Putin's war machine. Therefore, we must all act together.

We do this to preserve our security. But also to realise our potential. To become more independent, powering our economy and society with our own clean, affordable energy, flowing throughout a fully connected Energy Union.

On 6 May, we said "no more" to Russia. But we also said "yes" to a more free, secure, and independent Europe. Because there is great power in our Union - it's time to harness it together.

Dan Jørgensen is EU Energy and Housing Commissioner