European Union concerned about Russia’s expansive energy policy

The expansive energy policy of Russia concerns more and more the European Union, which decided, when inaugurating the Finish Chairmanship, to speed up the pace of the construction works related to the gas pipe Nabucco, in order to reduce the dependence upon Russian natural gas, Romanian press writes, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. Five European states - Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey – have decided, in Vienna, to finish as soon as possible the construction of the gas pipeline Nabucco, which will transport natural gas from the Caspian Sea and will transform Azerbaijan into one the main European suppliers. According to the quoted source, the absolute priority on the agenda of the Finish chairmanship, the European energy security clashes with the ambitions of the monopolistic company „Gazprom”, approved and encouraged by President Vladimir Putin. „Gazprom” has announced recently that it will increase the price up to the "European level", even for the CIS countries, which benefit of lower prices for energy resources. Moldova was the first to feel this policy, which, starting 1 July pays almost by 50% more for natural gas than a year ago - 160 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters. Ukraine has instead three months until signing a new agreement with Russian authorities, who want to revise the existent one, and the possible refuse of Ukrainians to accept the imposed price might lead to a new energy crisis on European level. According to them, the price increase affected the CIS countries as they have refused to cede to the Russian company the infrastructure of natural gas transports. Kiev has informed last year that there can not be any talks about such thing. Chisinau also gave a negative reply to the proposal of „Gazprom”. The majority of former Soviet states turned to Turkmenistan, which, recently, announced that it breaks the natural gas supply agreements with „Gazprom”, as the company refused to accept the price increase the Turkmen’s wanted. Millions of Turkmen cubic meters that entered the pipes of Gazprom in order to get to other countries, at a higher price, will be able to get directly to the consumers of Belarus, Ukraine or Georgia. While the former soviet states seem to count on Turkmen gas, the European Union prefers to negotiate with Azerbaijan, on one hand, and, on the other hand, tries to make more pressures on Russia. The chairman of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, announced on Tuesday, in Helsinki, that he will try to convince Vladimir Putin to allow the access of western companies to Russian natural gas and oil, and also to open the gas pipes of „Gazprom” to rival companies, all in exchange of the promise that the Union will not restrict the access of the Russian energy companies on the European market. On June 26, 2006, the European Union and the energy ministers of Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey agreed on building the gas pipe "Nabucco" of 3,300 km, connected the Caspian Sea and the Central and Western Europe, without Russia’s participation. The cost of the gas pipe is amounting to 4.6 billion euros.