---
title: "EU stalls on weaning itself off Russian energy: storage at 67%, investment gap in the hundreds of billions of euros"
description: "The European Court of Auditors stated that the EU is underinvesting in diversification and renewables, and that gas storage is filled only to 67% versus 80% a year earlier. The auditors called on the EC to more actively monitor the plan to wean off Russian energy."
date: 2026-09-10T04:38:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/eu-stalls-on-plan-to-wean-off-russian-energy
tags: [eu-energy, russian-gas, gas-storage, european-court-of-auditors, energy-security]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# EU stalls on weaning itself off Russian energy: storage at 67%, investment gap in the hundreds of billions of euros

![Gas infrastructure worker at a pipeline facility: EU faces an investment gap and underfilled storage as it struggles to cut ties with Russian energy](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/10/es-otstaet-ot-plana-otkaza-ot-rossiyskikh-energonositeley/es-otstaet-ot-plana-otkaza-ot-rossiyskikh-energonositeley-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The European Court of Auditors stated that the EU is not investing enough in diversification, renewables, and grids, and called on the EC to more actively monitor the plan to wean off Russian energy.
- Gas storage is filled to about 67% versus close to 80% at the same stage last year, threatening spikes in gas prices in winter.
- EU countries' investment commitments amount to only 54.3 billion euros against an initial estimate of 300 billion euros.
- The European Commission claims that financing has already accelerated the development of renewables and reduced Russian gas imports, and promises to take the auditors' recommendations into account.

According to the European Court of Auditors, the European Union is failing to deliver on its own plan to wean itself off Russian oil and gas. The auditors pointed out that the bloc's countries are not investing enough in diversifying supplies, renewable energy, and grid development, and called on the European Commission to more actively monitor the implementation of the program. In their words, precisely at the moment when Europe's energy security is once again under pressure due to the situation in the Middle East, the process of "decoupling" from Russian energy carriers is "running into difficulties."

### Context: from 45% to 12% and seaborne oil

Following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has steadily reduced imports of Russian energy carriers. The sanctions package has virtually halted seaborne supplies of Russian crude oil, and Russia's share of the bloc's gas imports, according to data cited in the report, has fallen from 45% to 12%. At the same time, the auditors emphasize that a significant part of this reduction was less the result of deliberate political measures than of favorable circumstances — mild weather and high energy prices, which in themselves reduced demand.

### Winter risk: 67% versus 80%

One of the acute problems, in the auditors' view, has been the filling of gas storage ahead of winter. At present, the reservoirs are filled to about 67%, whereas at the same stage last year the figure was close to 80%. Analysts warn that such a gap could lead to sharp spikes in gas prices during the heating season. An additional risk factor is the full ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) scheduled for 1 January 2027, which will narrow the already limited supply channels.

### Investment gap: 300 billion versus 54.3 billion euros

Initially, the European Commission estimated the investment need for a full weaning off Russian energy carriers at around 300 billion euros, to be provided from the EU budget. However, to date the bloc's countries have committed only 54.3 billion euros. The auditors note that such a gap may indicate either that the initial estimate of the need was overstated or incorrect, or that member states are unable to properly implement the planned measures. This, in effect, calls into question the very feasibility of the program within the stated deadlines.

### Contradictory data

Here the positions of the two sides diverge markedly. The European Court of Auditors claims that the program is "stalling": storage is filled only to 67% versus 80% a year earlier, investments have covered less than a fifth of the initial estimate (54.3 billion out of 300 billion euros), and the reduced dependence on Russian gas is largely explained not by policy but by mild weather and expensive gas. The European Commission, by contrast, states that the EU's actions and financing have already accelerated the development of renewable energy and led to a sharp reduction in Russian gas imports, and promises to "take the auditors' recommendations into account." Thus, one side sees a systemic failure in winter preparedness and underfunding, while the other sees confirmed progress that merely needs fine-tuning. The divergent reading of the same figures (67% fill rate, 54.3 billion euros in commitments) makes the assessment of the energy system's actual state debatable.

### Political backdrop and who else is resisting

As recently as last year, the EU publicly stated that it was gradually weaning itself off Russian fossil fuels, as, in particular, demanded by US President Donald Trump. At that time, the most noticeable resistance came from Hungary and Slovakia. However, as the auditors note, as of today it has turned out that these are far from the only countries for which it is difficult to give up Russian energy carriers. The European Commission's recommendation to more actively monitor the plan's implementation is, in effect, an acknowledgment that without external audit pressure the bloc's internal coordination is not working effectively enough.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [EU lags behind plan to wean off Russian energy carriers: what are the further forecasts](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/es-vidstae-vid-planu-vidmovi-vid-rosiyskih-1789014851.html) - Подтверждает тезис о том, что ЕС отстает от плана отказа от российских энергоносителей и о проблемах реализации программы.
- [EU fails to wean off Russian energy carriers and enters winter with low reserves, - media](https://www.unian.net/economics/energetics/u-es-nizkie-zapasy-gaza-pered-zimoy-otkaz-ot-rossiyskih-energonositeley-zatyagivaetsya-13495146.html) - Подтверждает низкий уровень запасов газа перед зимой и затягивание отказа от российских энергоносителей.
- [How the weaning off Russian energy carriers affected Europe – our ambassador in Belgium explained](https://www.livekuban.ru/news/ekonomika/kak-skazalsya-na-evrope-otkaz-ot-rossiyskikh-energonositeley-rasskazal-nash-posol-v-belgii) - Дополнительный контекст о последствиях отказа от российских энергоносителей для Европы; не использован как источник конкретных цифр.
- [Weaning off internal combustion engines by 2035: the European Court of Auditors strongly ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0/20240423-%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7-%D0%BE%D1%82-%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B9-%D0%B2%D0%BD%D1%83%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE-%D1%81%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%BA-2035-%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%83-%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F-%D1%81%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F-%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0-%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%BE-%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%81%D1%8F) - Использован лишь как контекст повторяющейся скептической позиции Европейской счетной палаты по энергетическим/транспортным планам ЕС; не содержит цифр по газу.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why, in the auditors' view, is the EU failing to wean itself off Russian energy?
**A:** The European Court of Auditors points to insufficient investment in diversifying supplies, renewable energy, and grid development, as well as to the fact that the reduced dependence on Russian gas was largely the result of mild weather and high prices rather than deliberate measures.

### Q: How full are the EU's gas storage facilities ahead of winter?
**A:** According to data cited in the report, storage is filled to about 67%, whereas at the same stage last year the figure was close to 80%.

### Q: What investment gap did the auditors identify?
**A:** The initial estimate of the need was around 300 billion euros, however EU countries have committed only 54.3 billion euros.

### Q: What is the European Commission's position?
**A:** The EC states that the EU's actions and financing have already accelerated the development of renewable energy and sharply reduced Russian gas imports, and promises to take the European Court of Auditors' recommendations into account.

### Q: What additional winter risk factor is named?
**A:** The full ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) scheduled for 1 January 2027, which will narrow supply channels and may intensify price pressure.