Tuesday, January 13, 2009

EU Takes Role in Russia and Ukraine Dispute over Natural Gas

BBC News reports that hundreds of thousands of Europeans haven't had access to natural gas for nearly a week due to the debt and pricing disputes between Russia and Ukraine. The European Union receives a quarter of its gas from Russia, 80 percent of which passes through Ukraine. The BBC article features a map indicating which European countries have been hardest hit by the gas stoppage.

In an agreement reached yesterday, January 12, Russia offered to resume gas transmission if Russian and EU observers were allowed to monitor its flow through Ukraine. On the Europa website you can find a statement by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Commissioner Andris Piebalgs about the agreement for gas monitoring.

For further resources, see Europa's web page on security of natural gas supplies or check out our guide to energy.

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