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1. From 1 January 2026, the Commission may decide, by means of an implementing act, to temporarily exclude natural gas originating in, or LNG supplies from LNG facilities located in, the Russian Federation or Belarus from the participation in the mechanism for demand aggregation and the joint purchasing of natural gas, where that is necessary to protect the essential security interests or the security of supply of the Union or of a Member State, provided that such measures:

(a) do not unduly disrupt the proper functioning of the internal market for natural gas and cross-border flows of natural gas between Member States, and do not undermine the security of supply of the Union or of a Member State;

(b) respect the principle of energy solidarity;

(c) are taken in accordance with the rights and obligations of the Union or of the Member States with respect to third countries.

2. Sufficiently in advance of the first tendering round in 2026, the Commission shall assess whether all the conditions laid down in paragraph 1 are met with the view to deciding on any measures referred to therein. Any such decision shall be valid for a period of up to one year and may be renewed if justified. The Commission shall continuously assess whether the conditions laid down in paragraph 1 are met and shall keep the European Parliament and the Council duly informed about its assessments, including the assessment referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph.

3. Taking into account the need to ensure the security of supply of the Union, the measures taken by the Commission pursuant to paragraph 1 may be aimed at diversifying natural gas or LNG supplies with a view to reducing dependence on Russian natural gas, where it can be demonstrated that such measures are necessary to protect the essential security interests of the Union and of the Member States.

4. Decisions referred to in paragraph 1 shall contain a list of:

(a) all entry points from the Russian Federation or Belarus or other third countries serving as transit countries which shall not be used to deliver natural gas supplies subject to demand aggregation and joint purchasing; and (b) all LNG facilities located in the Russian Federation or Belarus. Natural gas suppliers or producers participating in the mechanism for demand aggregation and joint purchasing of natural gas shall provide assurance on the compliance with Article 47 and the decisions adopted pursuant to paragraph 1 of this Article.

5. The Commission shall take appropriate measures to ensure the effective application of this Article and of Article 47 and may require from natural gas suppliers or producers participating in the mechanism for demand aggregation and the joint purchasing of natural gas all the necessary information to assist it in that task, including the submission to the purchasers of the relevant shipping documents when delivering the natural gas supplies, where technically feasible.