New Europe: EU, Ukraine play each other on pipeline

On 3 May, Ukraine and the EU are expected to hold a roundtable in Brussels regarding further development of the Ukrainian gas market. The roundtable, which will be chaired by EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger and Ukraine’s Energy Minister Stavytsyi, is expected to discuss the modernisation of the Ukrainian gas transportation system or GTS and the establishment of the Eastern European gas hub in Ukraine. Most of the leading gas companies, including Russian gas monopoly Gazprom have been invited.

However, Olga Shumylo-Tapiola, visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe in Brussels, told New Europe that Ukraine and the EU have different expectations.

“The EU expects Ukraine to reform and for that it’s interested in getting engaged with Ukraine be that modernisation of Ukrainian gas transit system or reform of energy sectors as such. Ukrainians, when they think of EU engagement, they want support with the negotiations with Russia over gas price, full stop. I don’t think that Ukrainians are interested in having the EU as part of the trilateral consortium of management of gas transit system,” Shumylo-Tapiola said.  MORE