A report placed on the EU’s official website said Oettinger said in his opening speech that many people were thinking relations with Russia were more important in the field of energy than relations with Ukraine but “we have to overcome this.”
“Gas can be used as a weapon and no longer be delivered,” Oettinger said.
“This is not yet the case, but we believe that Russia will do whatever they can to undermine Ukraine.”
“Perhaps Ukraine could purchase gas from Russia with co-finance from the EU in order to store more gas,” he added.
Oettinger also called for more collaboration in the energy sector. He noted the availability of legal groundwork for joint efforts on energy issues but said the problem was that “we now have 28 fragmented systems.”
A number of MEPs voiced solidarity with his viewpoint that the EU was to do more to surmount this fragmentation and to interconnect the energy sector of countries within the EU.
The commissioner also pleaded for more collaboration on energy. The EU already has a legal basis to work on energy issues, but "we now have 28 fragmented systems", he said. Several MEPs shared his view that more should be done to combat this fragmentation and to link the energy sectors of countries within the EU.http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/751329
25/9/14
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A tripartite meeting at the ministerial level among Russia, Ukraine and the European Union on gas issues will be held Friday in Berlin....
ReplyDeleteThe talks will take place ahead of the approaching winter season and amid a lack of supply of Russian gas to Ukraine. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, his Ukrainian counterpart Yuri Prodan and European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger will participate in the upcoming talks. This meeting has been planned since the end of July.
The conditions for the resumption of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine are the agreement on the price of gas and for Ukraine to begin paying off its debt for gas deliveries to Russia. Ukraine, however, does not agree with the price of gas and has not paid for gas it consumed in the first half of 2014.
Moscow introduced a prepayment system of gas deliveries to Ukraine in June due to its $5.3 billion debt. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stressed that Russia would only agree to a temporary price of $385 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas for the period of negotiations between Russia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz, and would resume cooperation on the issue only after the debt is paid.
Ukraine is not only a consumer, but also a major transit country for Russian gas supplies to Europe.
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140926/193301091/Russia-Ukraine-EU-to-Hold-Gas-Talks-at-Ministerial-Level.html
26/9/14