Brussels, 22/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - At the end of last week, European Commission Vice President, Maros Sefcovic and the Lithuanian President, Dalia Grybauskaite, welcomed the second raft of measures for the introduction of the Energy Union, ahead of the Vilnius visit on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 February. This gas security package is also known as the Winter Package and was adopted by the Commission on 16 February last.
According to the Lithuanian press agency (ELTA), Grybauskaite said that this package was “particularly relevant” to Lithuania as it boosts the European Union Solidarity in the energy sector, ensures gas supply security for all EU regions and provides for a support mechanism between member states in case of supply disruptions.
In terms of the Commission proposals, the EU would be divided into nine regional areas where countries in those areas would have to actively cooperate to assess the risk of disruption of supplies and implement preventive measures together (accrue gas reserves, improve throughput capacity of gas storages and gas pipelines). The possibility of reverse gas supply would also be necessary.
Grybauskaite welcomed the new proposals to increase transparency in inter-governmental agreements between EU member states and third countries in the energy field (compulsory pre-consultation mechanism between the Commission and the member states before signing such an agreement), which she believes would help ensure fair competition and prevent diktats from monopolies or distort relations in the EU gas market.
Implementing the Energy Union and the gas security package (see EUROPE 11491), the Nord Stream-2 dossier, synchronising the electricity grids in Baltic countries with that in mainland Europe, together with nuclear safety are at the centre of the discussions between Commissioner Sefcovic and the Lithuanian authorities on Monday in Vilnius. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)