Eurocommissaris Piebalgs en Minister Khristenko verwelkomen verdere samenwerking tussen Rusland en de EU (en)

European Energy Commissioner Piebalgs i met the Russian Minister of Industry and Energy Victor Khristenko in Brussels today, in the framework of the EU i -Russia Energy Dialogue. Ahead of the EU-Russia Summit that will take place on 26 October 2007, they assessed the current situation and prospects of cooperation in the field of energy, exchanged views on the latest developments in the EU's energy market legislation and the Russian energy market, including issues such as infrastructure developments and energy efficiency.

"Russia and the European Union are important strategic partners and it is in both our interest to strengthen this relationship further. A true EU-Russia strategic energy partnership should provide long-term certainty, security and predictability for both sides," said Commissioner Piebalgs ahead of the meeting.

Commissioner Piebalgs and Minister Khristenko discussed the outcomes of the meetings of the three EU-Russia Thematic Groups on Energy [1]. They finalized the provisions of the Eighth Progress Report of the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue, which provides a solid basis for further cooperation in the field of energy. Their meeting was also an opportunity to discuss further developments of the EU-Russia electricity interconnection feasibility study with representatives of the involved organizations, Unified Power System / Interconnected Power Systems (UPS/IPS) on the Russian side and the Union for the Coordination of Transmission of Electricity (UCTE) on the European side.

The EU-Russia Energy Dialogue was launched at the EU-Russia Summit in 2000 to provide an opportunity to raise all the questions of common interest relating to the sector, including cooperation on energy efficiency, rationalisation of production and transport infrastructures, and reciprocal investment possibilities. The structure of the Energy Dialogue ensures the close involvement of EU Member States, the European energy industry and international financial institutions. The three Thematic Groups bring together over 100 European and Russian experts from the private and public sector and contribute every year to the EU-Russia Progress Report.

Russia is an important external energy supplier to the European Union, currently accounting for over 25% of its oil and gas deliveries. The EU will remain Russia's most important energy export market and European companies are Russia's most important foreign investors. At the same time, all scenarios show that EU's energy imports will continue to grow significantly.

[1] The terms of reference of the recently restructured Groups can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/energy/russia/index_en.htm