BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

08/08/2007

EU hails progress in information exchange during Russian-Belarusianenergy dispute

MOSCOW. Aug 8 (Interfax) - The European Commission has noticed progress in the work of the Russian-EU early warning mechanism to deal with problems or crises in energy shipments to the West, which was set up during the EU-Russia summit in Samara in May this year, spokesman for the Delegation of the European Commission to Russia Sean Carroll said.

"What we saw in the dispute between Gazprom and Belarus was that there were very good information flows with all of the people concerned. This was something we saw during the disputes and in early communication with all the participants," Carroll told Interfax on Wednesday.

"The decision to set up the early warning mechanism was seen as important both on the Russian side and the EU side," he said.

"What the European Commission is working on now is a follow-up to the discussions that we had in the European Council on energy policy for Europe." Carroll said.

"Diversification is an important part of that strategy so as to guarantee energy security. What this diversification means is the types of energy that we use, where we buy that energy from and how we transport it. So, it's a combination of elements," he said.

The European Commission is working on "concrete legislative proposals that are scheduled to be ready in the autumn of this year," he said.

"Obviously, Russia, if you look at the figures, if you look at the statistics, is a very important energy partner for the European Union, and the Union is a very important customer for the Russian Federation," Carroll said.

Source:

http://www.interfax.com/3/300813/news.aspx

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