EU delays proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports

The European Commission has postponed its planned April 15 submission of a legal proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports, according to an updated EU legislative agenda. While the proposal hasn't been cancelled, an EU official confirmed it will no longer meet the mid-April deadline due to 'current geopolitical developments.' This delay comes as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran creates what the International Energy Agency calls 'the biggest oil supply disruption in history,' sending global crude prices soaring and complicating energy security calculations across Europe.

The proposed legislation would codify a complete phase-out of Russian oil imports by no later than the end of 2027, mirroring existing EU legislation that phases out Russian gas imports by late 2027. The measure would have minimal immediate impact on physical supplies, since the EU was importing just 1% of its oil from Russia by the final quarter of 2025—a dramatic reduction from pre-2022 levels following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, Brussels wants to establish permanent legal barriers that would remain in place even if a future peace deal in Ukraine leads to the lifting of other sanctions, ensuring long-term energy independence from Russia regardless of geopolitical shifts.