Archive for the ‘EU Watch’ Category

January15

EU Threatens Legal Action in Continuing Gas Dispute

By: Tim Neale

EC President Barroso calls dispute, “most unacceptable and incredible”

Despite the signing of an agreement on Jan. 12, gas is still not flowing from Russia to the EU via the Ukraine. The Ukrainians claims that for technical reasons it cannot pass the amount of gas Russia wishes to send via the route stipulated. Gazprom, the Russian state owned gas export monopoly, disputes this.

On Jan. 14, the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso told the European Parliament, that if the agreement sponsored by the European Union is not honoured, it means that “Russia and Ukraine can no longer be regarded as reliable.”

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January13

Gas Flow to the EU Will Resume Tuesday

By: Tim Neale

Russian and Ukrainian credibility badly damaged by ‘Gas War’

naftogazRussian gas will resume flowing to the EU via the Ukraine at 0700 GMT on Tuesday Jan-13. It will take up to three days more before the gas reaches some parts of the EU.

Alexander Medvedev, the deputy chief executive of Russia’s state owned gas export monopoly Gazprom, told a Brussels news conference that supplies will be restarted, “if there are no obstacles.” The EU currently imports 25 percent of its gas from Russia, 80 percent of this flows through the Ukraine.

The Dispute
Russia and the Ukraine have been locked in a dispute over gas payments for several years. The Ukraine currently pays Russia about half the market rate for its gas, Russia thinks it should pay more. The Ukraine counters that the amount it charges Russia to tranship gas to the EU is half that charge by other countries.

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January8

Confusion Reigns in EU’s Response to Gaza War

By: Tim Neale

Sarkozy’s success could undermine Czech EU Presidency

ecbe5b9960f2As the conflict in Gaza entered its 12th day, some of the diplomatic activity was beginning to pay off. A three-hour cease fire gave some respite. On Wednesday afternoon it appeared that the French-Egyptian initiative, put together by France’s hyper-active President, Nicolas Sarkozy, could lead to a permanent cease-fire.

However, the process has exposed the institutional weaknesses in the European Union that the Lisbon treaty was meant to address.

The Problems of the Rotating Presidency
Presidency of the Council of the European Union, commonly known as the EU Presidency, rotates between the member stats of the EU. Each holds the post for six months. The EU Presidency should not to be confused with the President of the European Commission, a post currently by José Manuel Barroso.

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December28

Libertas to Contest Euro Elections

By: Tim Neale

Declan Ganley has announced his intention to turn the Libertas campaign organisation into a pan-European political party. Libertas was central to the Irish ‘No’ on the Lisbon treaty referendum in 2008.

Ganley says that the new political party will field candidates in all 27 European Union states in the upcoming European Parliamentary elections in June 2009. It will run on a platform of democratizing the European institutions, aiming for an elected president and commission.

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