The regulation informally agreed aims to decarbonise the gas sector and secure supply, in order to address both climate change and the disruption of gas flows caused by the Russian aggression of Ukraine.

During negotiations on the legislation, MEPs secured the possibility for member states to restrict imports of gas from Russia and Belarus, whether via pipeline or LNG. The European Parliament has been advocating for a full ban on energy imports from Russia since April 2022, following its aggression of Ukraine.

MEPs also managed to enshrine the joint purchasing system for gas, which will aggregate demand to prevent member states from competing against each other when bidding for gas, in particular when refilling strategic reserves. They also successfully pushed for the creation of a voluntary system to support market development for hydrogen, as a pilot project for five years.

MEPs advocated for strengthening measures to boost investment in new infrastructure for hydrogen, in…