Brussels, 01/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - Visiting Ukraine on Tuesday 1 March, European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic stated that the Commission was ready to act as mediator in talks between Russia and Ukraine on the supply of Russian gas to Ukraine and on the transit of Russian gas via Ukraine, including after 2019 - the year when the current transit contract expires between Russian and Ukrainian gas companies Gazprom and Naftogaz.
The two sides should begin to determine their provisional decisions from now because the mutual claims of Gazprom and Naftogaz are unlikely to be settled by the Stockholm trade arbitration court before 2017, Sefcovic stated at an energy forum in Kiev on Tuesday, as reported by Russian news agency Interfax.
“The European Commission will be facilitating the talks so that the two sides could find out interim solutions to gas shipments to Ukraine”, he said.
Sefcovic also called on Ukraine to continue its energy sector reforms - such as the adoption of legislation on the regulator, the electricity market and energy efficiency.
In early February, Ukraine said it wanted to negotiate a new memorandum of understanding on its supply of Russian gas in order to secure its supplies from April to September, when the 2015-2016 winter package expires at the end of March.
In the midst of a permanent gas dispute, Russia and Ukraine agreed, under EU mediation at the end of September 2015, on a memorandum of understanding that runs until March 2016 for the supply of Russian gas to Ukraine for winter 2015-2016 (see EUROPE 11398). However, at the end of November, Ukraine ceased all purchases from Russia and is being supplied by European countries.
The verdict of the Stockholm arbitration court on the complaint lodged by Gazprom in June 2014 regarding Naftgaz's payment arrears is not expected before the end of 2016. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)