Brussels, 21/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso has called for the misunderstandings that cast a shadow over the energy cooperation between the EU and Russia to be cleared up.
Speaking in Moscow on Thursday 21 March at a conference on the future of EU-Russia cooperation (on the sidelines of the meetings between the Commission and the Russian government), Barroso tried to defuse the continuing problems on energy between Europe and its top energy supplier. He recalled that the EU absorbs 80% of Russia's oil sales, 70% of its gas sales and 50% of its coal sales.
“At the core of the European Union's energy policy are consumer choice, fairer prices, cleaner energy and security of supply. It's on this sound basis that we are developing or internal energy market (…). This is an area where there is sometimes tension in our relationship. And I still fear that our objectives were probably not sufficiently explained or not fully understood by our Russian partners”, Barroso said. “The reality is that, within an open, interconnected and competitive EU energy market, Russian supplies will remain a very important component. A fully liberalised EU market will also mean more opportunities for more Russian suppliers. We have a common interest in keeping energy supplies and markets stable and in helping to promote competition and prevent monopolies. This is also part of the modernisation agenda that we are both engaged in”, Barroso concluded. (EH/transl.fl)