EU gas monitors head to Ukraine

Published: 12 January 2009 y., Monday

Dujotiekis
The EU is sending monitors to Ukraine to oversee the transit of Russian gas through pipelines there. The deployment is expected to clear the way for the resumption of supplies to Europe.

The team was dispatched after emergency talks in Brussels between the commission and Russian and Ukrainian fuel company executives to help resolve a price dispute between their countries that has severely disrupted natural gas deliveries.

Some 20 countries have been affected, especially in the Balkan region, where the crisis has left tens of thousands of households in the cold and forced schools, hospitals and factories to close.

Both the commission and the Czech presidency of the EU declared the situation  unacceptable and demanded that Russia and Ukraine restore gas supplies immediately.

The monitors will be checking the flow to ensure that Russia and Ukraine honour contracts to pump gas to Europe. The crisis began at the start of the year, when the two countries broke off talks over how much Ukraine should pay for Russian gas. A few days later, the gas stopped flowing.

This is not the first time tensions between Ukraine and Russia have squeezed EU gas supplies. Similar disputes in recent years have shown the need to reduce the EU’s reliance on foreign energy, one of the commission’s top priorities.

The EU gets about a quarter of its natural gas from Russia, mostly through pipelines in Ukraine. The dependence varies widely though, with some countries relying on Russia for nearly all their gas.

Moscow agreed to the monitors after talks with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and German and Russian leaders. A special Energy Council will take place on 12 January to look at the situation, including monitoring. The Czech Republic took over the rotating EU presidency on 1 Jan., just as the crisis began.

 

Šaltinis: ec.europa.eu
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

European Commission calls for united EU position for G20 Summit in Pittsburgh

The recent severe crisis has underlined global interdependence and the need for new and more substantial forms of international cooperation. more »

Polluted Baltic Sea looking for a regeneration strategy

Summertime always brings blue-green algae blooms feeding off the heavily polluted Baltic Sea. more »

Japan's next PM

Japan will see a historic change in government this week, making former opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama the nation's next prime minister. more »

Peres leaves hospital

Israeli President Shimon Peres is driven away from hospital with a clean bill of health after Saturday's scare. The 86-year-old has spent the night under observation after he fainted during a ceremony in Tel Aviv. more »

Clashes after Hamburg street party

German police aim their spotlights - and water cannons - on left-wing demonstrators after a street festival in Hamburg. more »

Karel De Gucht visits humanitarian projects in Zimbabwe

Karel De Gucht, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, is making his first visit to EU-funded operations in Zimbabwe. more »

The climate and the situation in Zimbabwe dominated South Africa meeting

Ahead of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December, the EU and South Africa both emphasise the importance of political leadership. more »

Baltic Sea Week opens on Monday

The Baltic Sea region will be in focus as the Baltic Sea Week opens on Monday. more »

World Bank Launches New Partnership Strategy with Georgia

The World Bank Group Board of Directors today discussed a new Country Partnership Strategy with Georgia, which provides the framework guiding the World Bank Group's assistance to Georgia for 2009-2012. more »

EU Military Committee to meet in Karlskrona

The European Union Military Committee (EUMC) is to visit Karlskrona on 14–15 September for an informal meeting on maritime surveillance. more »