Oproep aan EU om banden met Rusland te versterken vanwege energie-importen (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Energy security for the EU depends on mutual advantage between the EU and Russia.

With Russia holding nearly all the cards when it comes to the EU's dependence on oil and gas, the EU needs to help Russia get membership to the World Trade Organization.

That was the message Lord Browne of Madingley, Group Chief Executive of British Petroleum plc gave to the European Policy Center Thursday (17 February).

"WTO accession would help to develop the rule of law, improve to the country international standards, create transparency and develop good governance", Lord Brown said.

The newest round of talks on Russia's accession to the WTO was launched Wednesday in Geneva where the accession working group will consider proposals and comments from the WTO Secretariat.

Russia's news agency Prime-Tass reported Tuesday that EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson expects Moscow's accession negotations to be completed by the end of the year with membership from 2006.

According to Lord Browne, BP is one of the largest foreign investors in Russia, accounting for one-quarter of the EU's total investments in Russia of roughly 16 billion euro.

As Russia's largest trading partner, most of the EU's oil imports originate from there.

According to Eurostat, the EU-25 imported more than one million tonnes of oil and gas from Russia during 2003, worth more than 54 million euro.

The dependency of the EU's largest member state, Germany, on Russian oil has led to criticism.

German parliamentarians accusing Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of adopting a soft approach to Russian President Vladamir Putin in fear of retribution against oil and gas exports, according to a Financial Times article earlier this year.

Germany imports 35% of its oil and 40% of its gas from Russia.

According to a spokesperson for Germany's RWE, a major multinational utility, 28.4% of its gas imports come from Russia's state-owned Gazprom through RWE's 100%-owned subsidy Transgas that brings gas from Russia to the Czech Republic and throughout Europe.

Germany's Ruhrgas is the largest foreign shareholder in Gazprom.

"Russia is on our watch list," the RWE spokseperson said. The company is looking now to Eastern Europe's energy sector but a slowdown in privatisation has held up project development.

Lord Browne said Russia has been a reliable supplier to Europe, and especially Germany, for many years and that the EU's Neighbourhood Policy is an important step in securing relations with eastern and southern neighbours.

"Russia is part of Europe, not within the European Union, but culturally and historically. It is part of Europe's past and its future", Lord Browne said.