Skopje, 21 October 2025 (MIA) – Minister of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources Sanja Bozhinovska said Tuesday she doesn’t expect any issues in gas supply after the Council of the EU reached an agreement yesterday on the negotiating position of the member countries regarding the draft regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas.

The gas pipeline toward Greece should be completed by 2027, she said speaking to reporters noting that the EU will be seeking an alternative solution. 

“It involves short-term contracts as far as I know. It won’t affect long-term contracts. Macedonia consumes 500 thousand cubic meters which is not much. We’re already working on the gas pipeline with Greece post-2027 because it should be completed by then. I believe there will be no problems because it will be solved at the EU level and alternatives will be sought. There will be talks in Brussels to find alternative solutions,” Bozhinovska said when asked whether the country should be concerned following the EU decision banning transit of Russian gas since the Alexandroupolis LNG Terminal is out of service. 

In case the pipeline isn’t completed and the Alexandroupolis LNG Terminal remains out of service we shouldn’t worry, she stressed. “We won’t be left without gas.”

The minister confirmed the state has been regularly paying invoices for the annual lease of capacity at the new terminal in Alexandroupolis even though it is not operational.

“250,000 euros a month are paid according to a contract concluded for 15 years and it has to be paid,” Bozhinovska said.

Time will tell whether we have been paying in vain, according to her. “The contracts cannot be terminated,” she added. 

On Monday, the Council of the EU agreed on its negotiating position on the draft 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 and repeated disruptions of gas supplies to the EU with significant effects on the European energy market, the Council said in a press release.

The proposed regulation introduces a legally binding, stepwise prohibition on both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, with a full ban to apply from 1 January 2028. 

“The Council agreement maintains this deadline, and therefore represents an ambitious signal of willingness to deliver on the phase out. It will contribute to the overarching goal of achieving a resilient and independent EU energy market, while preserving the EU's security of supply,” it said. 

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