Important steps were taken in 2014, notably the European Commission-brokered Russia- Ukraine deal on gas supply to Ukraine.
In 2014 Europe’s energy relations with the eastern neighbourhood were clouded by the events in Ukraine. One issue was the security problem in the east of Ukraine; another, the threat that gas supply to European customers through Ukraine would be interrupted after Ukraine was unable to secure gas from Russia for four and half months. With the help of the European Commission, and particularly the vice-president in charge of energy, Günther Oettinger, Russia and Ukraine signed an interim gas deal to supply gas to Ukraine for the winter of 2014, thus avoiding further escalation and possible interruption of gas deliveries to European consumers.
The EU and its member states worked closely with Ukraine to open up a physical interconnector between Slovakia and Ukraine that would allow the country to import gas from Europe, thereby reducing its dependency on Russian gas and minimising its vulnerability to Gazprom’s pricing policy. All in all, in 2014 Ukraine has moved closer to the European energy framework, aligning its energy market institutions with the EU acquis communautaire on energy.
Meanwhile, Europe’s energy relations with other ENP countries were steadier in 2014 – cooperation with Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro proceeded within the Energy Community organisation. In 2014 these countries amended and adopted various laws and regulation aimed at streamlining their energy sector organisations to match the EU acquis on energy.
