EU decision on Russian gas/ Serbian Minister: Country in a very difficult situation! Brnabic: Catastrophic news

2025-10-20 20:13:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

EU decision on Russian gas/ Serbian Minister: Country in a very difficult

Serbia is in a very difficult and almost hopeless situation, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Gjedovic-Handanovic said on Monday, regarding the EU Council's decision to ban the transit of natural gas from Russia through the European bloc to third countries. Brussels announced that this decision will enter into force on January 1, 2026.

"Ultimately, Bulgaria will not allow the flow of Russian gas through the Balkan Stream, which will also harm Serbia in the future," Gjedovic-Handanovic said, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) reports.

According to the draft regulation of the Council of the European Union, the decision to ban the transit of Russian gas to third countries as of January will be confirmed once the European Parliament has adopted its position.

The final text will be announced after talks between the EU Council Presidency and the European Parliament. The EU Council stressed that a transitional period is foreseen for existing contracts with the Russian side.

Under the rules, EU buyers will not be able to sign new contracts for the import of Russian gas after January 1, while existing ones will have to expire no later than the end of 2027.

It is anticipated that short-term contracts, entered into before June 17, 2025, may continue until that date next year, while long-term contracts may extend until January 1, 2028.

Brussels said in a statement that changes to existing contracts will only be allowed for narrowly defined operational purposes and cannot lead to an increase in the volume of deliveries, unless they include specific flexibilities for landlocked EU member states affected by changes in supply routes.

In the context of this decision, Gjedovic-Handanovic recalled that the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS), which is Russian-owned and the main supplier of fuel to the domestic market, is under sanctions by the United States of America.

"Our country, which is not a participant in any conflict, was not affected by any fault or obligation. Despite everything, we will do our best so that citizens do not feel the problems we are facing," said Gjedovic-Handanovic.

US sanctions against NIS came into effect on October 9. Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabi?, speaking about the EU ministers' proposal to gradually eliminate Russian oil and gas imports, said she sees no way out of the situation and expressed hope that the country's president, Aleksandar Vu?i?, has a solution for this.

"This is catastrophic news for us," Brnabic was quoted as saying by RTS.

For decades, Serbia has been dependent on gas imports from Russia, from where it meets more than 80 percent of its energy needs.

According to data from the Republic's Statistical Office, this is 13 percent less than in 2024. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Serbia has been trying to create new supply routes.

In 2024, Serbia began importing gas from Azerbaijan, with which it reached an agreement for annual supplies of up to 400 million cubic meters until 2026.

Serbia's annual needs are three billion cubic meters of natural gas. Serbia's ten-year gas supply contract with Russia expired in May, and the two countries have not signed a new contract yet.

European Union energy ministers have approved a decision to ban Russian gas imports after 2027 at a meeting in Luxembourg. The proposal presented by the European Commission received the necessary majority in the Council. Hungary and Slovakia, two landlocked EU countries, were against. /REL