Brussels, 27/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - Although the gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine shook the two countries' credibility in Europe, it also underlines the need to foster relations between the EU and these partners on the energy question, particularly Kiev. At the end of his meeting with Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko on Tuesday 27 January, José Manuel Barroso declared: “We are going to develop our partnership including in the field of energy… progressive integration of (Ukraine's) system with the European system in gas and electricity”.
Although the agreement signed between Moscow and the Ukrainian Prime Minister Julia Timochenko does not fully satisfy Mr Yushchenko, he will not be questioning it and informed the press that although “the agreements signed are not easy ones” his country would guarantee transit to European consumers. Mr Barroso confirmed that the Ukrainian president “isn't very happy” with the agreement ratified with Russia, but affirmed that he “fully respects it” and “Ukraine will honour it”. Mr Barroso did not envisage any repetition of the most recent gas dispute and explained: “We are all determined that this does not become an annual event”.
This determination is borne out in the reaffirmation of ties between the EU and Kiev. The president of the Commission asserted that “it is particularly important that we now move forward”. He also explained that “in our bilateral relations, we are not (seeing) any negative consequences”. Mr Barroso repeated the fact that the meeting between he and Mr Yushchenko had therefore facilitated an examination of the progress made in negotiations for a cooperation agreement between the EU and Ukraine, which will “open new opportunities”, particularly in the trade arena (free-trade zone) and energy. Mr Yushchenko was pleased that talks are making progress and “more than a half of work has already been done”. He is planning on signing the cooperation agreement in 2009.
In the immediate short term, the EU and Ukraine will strive to foster integration of their energy networks and the latter could subsequently join the Energy Community by creating an integrated electricity and gas market between the EU and Balkan countries. Mr Yushchenko has high expectations from an international investors' conference on 23 March in Brussels, which will focus on modernising the Ukrainian energy sector, particularly the system for transiting gas. The Ukrainian president confirmed that “it is important for Ukraine to join the European Energy Community agreement”. (A.B./transl.rh)