EU ambassadors to meet in Brussels over Russia gas supply

LONDON: Official representatives of European Union member states accredited at the EU management bodies will hold an extraordinary meeting in Brussels on Monday to discus situation with the Russian gas supplies to the EU via the Ukrainian territory.

The contract on the sale of gas on the Ukrainian internal market signed between Gazprom and Ukraine expired on January 1, 2009. Gas supplies from Russia to Ukraine were suspended because the sides failed to agree on a new contract by that time.

Although Kiev gave to the European Commission guarantees to maintain in the full volume the transit supplies of Russian gas to the EU, on January 2 in the evening Poland and Hungary felt a reduction in the received gas volume. Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, as well as Turkey and Macedonia that are not EU members, have also reported the gas delivery reduction to them by Monday.

Last Friday, Ukrainian officials admitted that "there may be disruptions" in the transit supplies of Russian gas to the European Union.

Such a development made the Czech Republic that is presiding in the EU to make a decision to call an urgent session in Brussels on Monday of official representatives of EU member states accredited at the EU management bodies.

Energy experts from the Czech government, the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, and the EU's executive, the European Commission, could travel to Russia and Ukraine in a bid to find out what exactly is happening with gas supplies, Czech vice-premier Alexandr Vondra told journalists after meeting Russian gas officials.

Commission sources confirmed that a fact-finding mission was being discussed, but stressed that it would not be aimed at mediating between the parties, despite Ukrainian calls for EU intervention, the agency reported.