La Presidenza Austriaca dell’UE e la Sfida Energetica
13/1/2006Austria put the EU’s energy security issue at the top of its agenda last week after Vienna took over the helm of the bloc’s rotating presidency on 1 January. Josef Pröll, Austrian Agriculture Minister and president of the EU’s Agriculture Council, told the press this week that the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine had made one thing very clear: the EU must act to reduce its dependence on fossil energy sources.
The recent Russian-Ukrainian dispute over natural gas prices has highlighted Europe’s strong dependence upon and hence vulnerability to its energy suppliers.
About 40 per cent of the EU’s gas supplies come from Russia, and almost 80 per cent of that gas is transported through Ukraine. The figures speak for themselves: any dispute between Russia and Ukraine can turn out to be very dangerous for Europe.
