EU demands immediate gas flow after monitoring deal

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-12 14:56

BRUSSELS-- The European Union (EU) demanded on Sunday that Russian gas flow to the 27-nation bloc via Ukraine be immediately resumed after a monitoring deal was finally clinched.

"We now need the gas to flow immediately to the EU," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement after Ukraine, Russia and the EU struck an agreement Sunday to set up an international commission to monitor Russian gas transit via Ukraine.

"Following the intensive efforts of both the Czech (EU) Presidency and the Commission, I warmly welcome the agreement to the document setting out terms of reference for the monitoring mission that has been signed by Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission," Barroso said.

"This should now finally allow the resumption of gas supplies from Russia to the EU," he added.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, shuttled between Kiev and Moscow on Saturday to mediate the deal.

He finally persuaded Kiev in the early hours of Sunday after marathon talks to accept the deal, which would allow EU representatives, energy officials from Russia and Ukraine to travel to gas pumping stations on Ukraine's eastern and western borders to track the gas flow.

Ukraine initially rejected the monitoring pact, fearing it would give Russian officials too much access to Ukraine's gas transit system.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said once the monitoring mechanism starts working, Russia will start gas supplies, which analysts said would need another 36 hours to reach customers in Europe.

All Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine were shut down Wednesday as a gas row between Russia and Ukraine escalated, creating supply crisis for a number of EU countries, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe.

Factories were shut down, schools closed and thousands of people left without gas for heating due to the severe gas shortage amid freezing weather.

Russia supplies about one-quarter of the EU's natural gas, and some 80 percent of it is transported through Ukraine.

"There are many EU citizens at risk without gas supply, and this situation has gone on for far too long," Barroso said.

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said the monitoring teams will start to do their work as soon as possible.