You're reading: European Commission says it hopes Ukraine-Russia gas problem won’t affect EU

The European Commission hopes that any conflict over gas supplies between Ukraine and Russia will not affect the European Union and that there is no reason for concern about this, EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said during a briefing on 7 Sept.

He introduced in Brussels a new concept for the energy legislation and energy policy of the EU in the sphere of its cooperation with the third states. When asked about the EU’s actions in the case of there being another "gas war" between Moscow and Kyiv, Oettinger said, "We are watching the political relations of these states. I talked to [Russian Energy Minister] Sergei Shmatko in Moscow and [Ukrainian Energy Minister] Yuriy Boiko in Kyiv."

The EU commissioner noted that during the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis in 2008-2009, "many Europeans lived in freezing apartments." At that time, the European Commission did not sit on its hands.

"We introduced an early warning system with Russia, and it works. Russia immediately sends us information if any supply risks appear," Oettinger said.

He also pointed to the European directive on the security of gas supplies for 30 days in case of a crisis. In addition, he said talks on the construction of a pipeline that would link the northern and southern parts of the EU from the Baltic states to Italy were coming to an end. According to him, "within the next three years various solutions will be found to guarantee energy supplies and react to critical situations."

"We’ll see how the talks in Kyiv go and how the situation develops. We hope we will avoid conflicts and difficulties.

"We’re ready to be a mediator," Oettinger said.