COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Wednesday, 03 December 2025

● Council of the EU   03/12/2025 01:47 | Press release | Council and Parliament strike a deal on rules to phase out Russian gas imports for an energy secure and independent Europe   Today, the Council presidency and the European Parliament’s representatives reached a provisional agreement on the regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas. The regulation constitutes a central element of the EU's REPowerEU roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy following Russia's weaponisation of gas supplies with significant effects on the European energy market. The regulation introduces a legally binding, stepwise prohibition on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas imports from Russia, with a full ban from the end of 2026 and autumn 2027 respectively. It will contribute to the overarching goal of achieving a resilient and independent EU energy market, while preserving the EU's security of supply. “This is a big win for us and for all of Europe. We have to put an end to EU’s dependence on Russian gas, and banning it in the EU permanently is a major step in the right direction. I am very pleased and proud that we have been able to reach an agreement with the European Parliament so quickly. It shows that we are committed to strengthening our security and safeguarding our energy supply.” — Lars Aagaard, Denmark’s minister for climate, energy and utilities Main elements of the agreement Transition phase for existing supply contracts The co-legislators confirmed that imports of Russian pipeline gas and LNG will be prohibited from six weeks after entry into force of the regulation, while maintaining a transition period for existing contracts. In particular: for short-term supply contracts concluded before 17 June 2025, the prohibition of Russian gas imports will apply from 25 April 2026 for LNG and 17 June 2026 for pipeline gas for long-term contracts for LNG imports, the prohibition will apply from 1 January 2027, in line with the 19th sanctions package as regards long-term contracts for pipeline gas imports, the prohibition will kick in on 30 September 2027, conditioned on the storage filling targets foreseen in the gas storage regulation being in line to be fulfilled, and at the latest on 1 November 2027 Amendments to existing contracts will be permitted only for narrowly defined operational purposes and cannot lead to increased volumes. Customs procedures and authorisation The co-legislators included the requirement that both categories of gas imports be subject to a prior authorisation regime in order to ensure that the prohibition will work in practice. for Russian gas and those imports falling under the transition period, the information required for authorisation must be submitted at least one month before entry for non-Russian gas, the proof must be provided at least five days before entry and 7 days for gas imported via the Strandzha 1 interconnection point In order to reduce the administrative burden, the co-legislators agreed that this prior authorisation procedure would not apply to imports from countries that fulfil certain criteria, such as major gas-producing countries that exported more than 5 bcm of natural gas to the EU in 2024, and that either prohibit or restrict imports of Russian gas, or countries without any infrastructure to import. Based on ongoing monitoring by customs and authorising authorities, the Commission can update the list of exempted countries and, if necessary, may remove countries from the list, e.g. in case of documented circumvention. National diversification plans The regulation mandates all member states to submit national diversification plans outlining measures for diversifying their gas supplies and potential challenges, with a view to ending all gas imports from Russia by in time with the deadlines foreseen in the regulation. At the same time, the agreement strengthens the Commission’s oversight by requiring member states to notify the Commission within one month of the regulation’s entry into force whether they have Russian gas supply contracts or national legal bans in place. The same requirement to submit a national diversification plan will apply to those member states that are still importing Russian oil, with a view to discontinuing those imports. The regulation will be accompanied by a Commission’s statement on the intention to put forward a legislative proposal on phasing out Russian oil imports to the EU no later than end of 2027. Other elements Compared to the Commission's proposal, the co-legislators introduced provisions for effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for failure to comply with the measures set out in the regulation, including a maximum threshold for penalties both for companies and private individuals. The Council and the Parliament maintained the suspension clause, which provides the possibility to temporarily suspend the application of the regulation in the case of sudden developments threatening the security of energy supply of one or more member states. Specifically, the co-legislators agreed to tighten the conditions for the Commission to trigger the temporary lifting of the import prohibition, based on a strict necessity, the state of emergency as declared by a member state and only for a limited period and covering short-term supply contracts. In order to assess the impact of the regulation, the co-legislators also required the Commission to review the implementation of the regulation within two years of its entry into force, including the provisions on the prior authorisation procedures. Next steps The provisional agreement will now be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament before being formally adopted.   Read more

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02/12/2025 22:56 | Press release | Consumer protection: Council and Parliament strike a deal on revising rules on package travel   The Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional deal on a revision of the directive on package travel which aims to make the protection of travellers more effective. In a package travel, the organiser combines different travel or touristic services such as flights, transfers, accommodation and excursions, etc. Packages are bought both online and offline, and can be offered by tour operators, travel agencies, carriers and other operators. The agreement strengthens consumers' rights, reduces burdens for operators and clarifies the obligations of package organisers on issues such as refunds, insolvency protection and the use of vouchers. Clarified definition of ‘package travel’ The new rules simplify the directive by keeping out of the scope linked travel arrangements, adjusting the definition of “package” and introducing information requirements in certain situations not leading to the creation of a package. Improved information for travellers The new rules enhance and clarify the information that travellers must receive before, during and after the trip. This includes details about available payment methods, relevant passport and visa requirements, accessibility for people with reduced mobility, and termination fees in case of cancellation. The updated directive also includes improved information for travellers in case of the organiser´s insolvency. Furthermore, the new rules introduce an obligation for organisers to have in place complaint-handling arrangements. Package cancellation rights The agreement clarifies the rights of travellers when they decide to cancel the trip before the departure due to extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances (also known as force majeure). In such cases, travellers should be able to cancel without having to pay a termination fee. What constitutes ‘force majeure’ will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, the agreement clarifies the obligations of organisers when they cancel a package. Organisers must refund the traveller within 14 days. The updated directive introduces voluntary use of vouchers, as organisers may offer travellers vouchers instead of reimbursement, but travellers have the right to refuse them. Vouchers must have a value at least equal to that of the reimbursement, be valid for a maximum of 12 months and be transferable only once. Travellers must also be able to use them to purchase one or more travel services offered by the trader. Vouchers will be covered by insolvency protection. Compensation in case of insolvency If the reason for the cancellation is the trader's insolvency, travellers should be refunded within six months. Member states may set shorter deadlines. The refund period could be enlarged to nine months in duly justified situations (for instance, an unusually high number of applications in a short time, or when the insolvency impacts passengers from different member states). The updated directive will also cover the publication of information about organisers which comply with their insolvency protection obligations. Transposition Member states will have 28 months to transpose the new directive after it enters into force. Next steps The provisional agreement needs to be confirmed by both institutions before being formally adopted. Background Package travel is a popular choice for tourists. In package travel, the organiser combines different travel or touristic services such as flights, transfers, meals, accommodation and excursions, etc. Packages are bought both online and offline, and can be offered by tour operators, travel agencies, carriers and other operators. The range of different products and operators (both organisers and service providers) that intervene in package travel make it complicated for travellers to recover their expenditure if, for example, the package is cancelled either in its entirety or in part. The insolvencies of big package travel companies, such as Thomas Cook in 2019, and the COVID‑19 crisis made it clear that traveller protection in the event of any major unexpected events needed to be reinforced. In October 2023, the Commission submitted a revision of the 2015 package travel directive, with strengthened traveller protection. Tourism plays an important role in the global economy, directly and indirectly accounting for over 10% of the global gross domestic product. Driven by rising incomes, falling travel-related costs and an increasing range of available tourism activities, the global number of tourists rose from 680 million in 2000 to over 1.5 billion in 2019. The European Union is the world's main tourist destination, receiving approximately two-thirds of all international tourist arrivals in 2022. The tourism industry plays a key role in the EU economy, with some 2.3 million tourism businesses and 10.9 million people working in the industry in 2020. Council's negotiating mandate Commission's proposal   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   02/12/2025 18:40 | Press release | Council and European Parliament reach deal on new EU law to step up fight against corruption   The Council and the European Parliament secured a provisional deal on minimum standards for how member states define and sanction corruption offences in their criminal code. The new law also contains measures to prevent corruption and rules for more effective investigation and prosecution. “This directive will update and strengthen the EU legal framework on corruption, and it constitutes an important step in our common fight against corruption and organised crime.” — Peter Hummelgaard, Danish Minister for Justice Harmonised definition of offences This new law sets EU-wide standards so that in all member states a number of acts are criminalised and defined in the same manner. The following offences will now, throughout the EU, be punishable as a criminal offence: bribery in the public and private sectors, misappropriation, trading in influence, obstruction of justice, enrichment from corruption offences, concealment and certain serious violations of unlawful exercise of public function. Penalties for natural persons and companies Next to aligning its definitions of corruption offences member states must also put in place the same level of penalties to sanction them. The sanction for offenders will go from a maximum term of imprisonment of at least three to at least five years, depending on the offence. People convicted for corruption offences may incur additional penalties such as fines, removal from public office, disqualification from holding public office or exercising a public service function, the withdrawal of permits and exclusion from access to tender procedures and public funds. Also, legal persons (i.e. companies) will face penalties. The law defines that these penalties should take the form of fines, where the maximum level of such fines ranges from at least 3% to 5% of their total worldwide turnover or at least €24 or €40 million, depending on the offence. Jurisdiction The Council and European Parliament also agreed on rules that define in what cases a member state has jurisdiction over an offence and therefore is obliged to initiate proceedings. As a general rule member states have jurisdiction over offences committed within their territory or where the offender is a national. In addition, member states may decide to extend their jurisdiction to acts committed outside their territory, where: the offender is a habitual resident in its territory the offence is committed against one of its nationals or its habitual residents the offence is committed for the benefit of a legal person established in its territory the offence is committed for the benefit of a legal person in respect of any business done in whole or in part on its territory Preventive measures In order to reduce corruption offences and limit the risk of corruption member states must take actions to raise public awareness regarding the harmfulness of corruption, and to ensure transparency and accountability in public administrations in the interest of preventing corruption.    Other preventive measures include: To put in place bodies that will be tasked with the prevention and repression of corruption. These bodies (or units) need to be able to operate without undue interference, and must be equipped with an adequate number of qualified staff and financial resources To perform within appropriate intervals an assessment to identify the sectors or occupations most at risk of corruption and develop measures to address the main risks in the sectors or occupations identified To take the necessary measures to ensure that any person reporting offences, providing evidence or otherwise cooperating with competent authorities has access to protection, support and assistance measures in the context of criminal proceeding One EU law for public and private sector corruption This new law – an EU directive – will replace two separate EU laws – one law from 2003 dealing with corruption in the private sector and an EU Convention from 1997 on corruption involving EU officials or officials of EU member states. Next steps The provisional agreement reached today will have to be confirmed by the Council and the European Parliament before being formally adopted by both institutions. Background The EU is a party to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which is the most comprehensive international legal instrument in this field. This legislative proposal will update the already existing EU legislative framework and incorporate international standards that are binding on the EU, such as those in the UNCAC.   Visit the website

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02/12/2025 16:43 | Meetings | Main results - Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Health), 2 December 2025   EU health ministers met in Brussels to discuss the critical medicines act. Over lunch, they also exchanged views on the impact of novel tobacco and nicotine products on children and young people.   View meeting page • Council of the EU ­ 02/12/2025 | MEETINGS  Background briefs - Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 20 June 2025 and General Affairs Council of 24 June 2025 Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Transport) of 4 December 2025 Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Telecommunications), 5 December 2025 Visit the website

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Career opportunities at the General Secretariat, 02/12/2025   Vacancy title: Director (AD14) for Council's Translation Service, Directorate GSC.LING.2 Reference: CONS/AD/201/25 Closing date for applications: 09 January 2026, at 12:00-noon (Brussels time).   Visit the website