Brussels, 02/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - At the time of EUROPE going to press on Monday 2 Mach, European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic was continuing discussions in Brussels with the Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers, Alexander Novak and Volodymyr Demchyshyn respectively, on implementing the winter package for the supply of Russian gas - a package that was tied up by Russia and Ukraine at the end of October 2014, under EU mediation.
Before welcoming the two parties, Sefcovic had made known his resolve to find an agreement on the new Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute that emerged in mid-February - the primary objective of the agreement being to ensure the supply of Russian gas for the EU transiting Ukraine. “Hope for positive outcome”, Sefcovic had said on Twitter at the start of the afternoon.
The European Commission has begun this new mediation on gas between Russia and Ukraine following allegations launched by Naftogaz against Gazprom, with the former Ukrainian gas operator accusing the latter Russian gas operator of breaching the memorandum of understanding on the supply of Russian gas to Ukraine for winter 2014-15 by not supplying Ukraine with a volume of gas that Kiev has paid for in advance. Gazprom decided to start supplying gas directly to the areas under separatist control in East Ukraine on the grounds that the Ukrainian government had ceased to do this. The Russian side considers that these deliveries fall within the winter package and that Kiev must pay for them. The Ukrainian side refuses to do this, stating that it has no means of controlling either the volumes concerned or their use.
“There have been many allegations coming from both sides since 19 February, the date when we last received information from the region”, said the Commission spokesperson for energy issues, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, on Monday afternoon. The Commission hoped to clarify the situation and find a “solution” guaranteeing the continuity of Europe's supply, she added. (Emmanuel Hagry)