EU still waiting for Russian gas
Russia has not yet resumed gas exports via Ukraine despite a weekend of frantic diplomacy by the Czech EU presidency, with Slovakia restarting a nuclear reactor to avoid a nation-wide blackout.
The deadlock remains after Moscow on Sunday night (11 January) rejected the latest text of an agreement on international monitoring of Ukraine gas transit.
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The Russian objection came after Kiev added a last-minute, handwritten annex to the document stating that "Ukraine does not have any debt vis-a-vis Gazprom and has fixed its financial settlements for all consumed gas," AFP reports.
The Czech EU presidency has drafted five versions of the text so far, with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek shuttling between Msocow and Kiev for the past three days and promising not to go home until the gas is back on.
Russia turned off the Ukraine gas tap - which accounts for one fifth of EU daily consumption - on Wednesday after accusing Ukraine of stealing EU-bound volumes in a long-running price dispute.
A team of 22 European Commission monitors began arriving in Ukraine and Russia on Friday to oversee resumption of supplies.
Under the terms of the tortuous Russia-Ukraine-EU accord - a version of which has been published by Gazprom - they are to be joined by another 50 Russian and Ukrainian officials as well as delegates from 13 major European energy firms, such as E.ON Ruhrgas and Statoil Hydro.
The experts will stay in place for an unlimited duration, reporting in real time to Brussels, Moscow and Kiev on flows, stocks and the physical state of infrastructure.
If Russia resumes supplies on Monday morning, it will take the gas until mid-Tuesday to reach exit points in EU states Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
The underlying issues of Ukraine's alleged non-payment of its 2008 gas debt and how much Ukraine will pay for gas in 2009 also remain unsolved, creating the potential for further rifts.
The gas crisis has impacted 18 EU states causing severe economic damage and public distress in heavy importers such as Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
EU treaty laid aside
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Saturday ordered the restart of a Soviet-era reactor at Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear plant.
"Damage from violation of the accession agreement is smaller than damage that would be caused by a collapse of the electricity system," he said, according to Reuters, in reference to Slovakia's 2004 EU accession treaty promise to switch off the unit.
The Slovak move has met with sympathy from Prague and Brussels, but Austrian environment minister Nikolaus Berlakovich called it "completely unacceptable" and is seeking a European Commission censure.
Ukraine's promise to start pumping between 1.5 million and 2.5 million cubic meters a day from its own stocks to Bulgaria for the sake of "friendly relations" eased tension in Sofia on Saturday.
But the gesture could create legal complications, after Hungarian firm Emfesz last week launched a law suit claiming that Ukraine's gas stocks belong to RosUkreEnergo - an intermediary of Russia's Gazprom - due to unpaid debts.
EU energy ministers meet
EU energy ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday to debate building energy bridges inside the union. In the current crunch, Italy and Austria pumped spare gas to Slovenia but Bulgaria is physically cut off from EU neighbours.
The snap ministerial is likely to review a 2004 directive on energy solidarity, which obliges EU states to act only if 20 percent of EU supply is affected for 80 days, meaning the 2009 crisis does not qualify.
Prague is also expected to urge EU action on the Nabucco project to bring in Caspian Sea gas directly to the EU. Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands have bought into competing new Russian pipeline projects instead.