The European Commission and the Slovak government have reached an agreement on the gradual phase-out of the country’s imports of Russian gas, aiming to enhance energy security. This was announced on July 18 by European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen during a briefing.
She noted that the European Commission takes into account the specific circumstances and challenges faced by individual member states, particularly Slovakia. The regulation provides for a gradual phase-out of Russian gas, tailored to the conditions of each country.
“We are working to ensure supply security and price stability across all member states. Russia has repeatedly proven to be an unreliable partner, so moving away from its energy resources is a step toward greater security.”
– Anna-Kaisa Itkonen
The EU’s proposal to phase out Russian gas is currently under consideration by the Slovak government.
On July 18, the EU General Affairs Council officially approved the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes a series of restrictive measures.
Among the new measures is a dynamic price cap mechanism on oil, setting the price 15% below the average market price for Russian crude oil, reducing the price from $60 to approximately $47.6 per barrel.
A ban was also introduced on transactions related to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 projects, and 105 new vessels were added to the shadow fleet list.
Additionally, the ban on transactions through the SWIFT system was expanded, and restrictions on Russia’s access to dual-use technologies were tightened.
In June, the European Commission presented the 18th sanctions package, which included new restrictions for Russia’s energy and banking sectors, as well as transactions related to Nord Stream.
At the EU ambassadors’ meeting on June 27, Slovakia requested a delay in adopting the package, demanding compensations or exemptions within the framework of the RePower EU strategy, which aims for a complete phase-out of Russian energy by the end of 2027.
Negotiations between Slovakia and the European Commission, held in Brussels and Luxembourg, concluded on July 3, 2025. They focused on measures within the REPowerEU roadmap.
Following consultations, the European Commission partially took Slovakia’s concerns into account: the ban on gas supplies under long-term contracts was postponed until 2027, and an exemption was provided for landlocked EU countries regarding spot trading of Russian pipeline gas.
Additionally, a possibility was introduced to temporarily lift the gas supply ban in case of a sharp deterioration in energy security or a rapid price surge in a particular EU country.
On July 17, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that the country would no longer block the adoption of the 18th sanctions package, having received written guarantees from the European Commission regarding gas prices and potential shortages.
“Slovakia will never support a proposal to stop importing Russian gas after January 1, 2028.”
– Robert Fico
Meanwhile, Malta opposed lowering the cap on Russian oil prices from $60 to $45 per barrel, citing the importance of the shipping industry to its economy.
On July 18, Malta lifted its veto on the 18th sanctions package after receiving guarantees from the European Commission.
“Malta has received the necessary assurances that the Commission will ensure that what is adopted (the oil price cap) will be enforceable, will not serve to strengthen the shadow fleet, and that the package will achieve exactly the objectives for which it was proposed.”
– Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU