Press Advisories

2. 1. 200916:52

The Presidency and the European Commission concerned over Russia-Ukraine dispute regarding gas

The Czech Presidency of the EU Council and the European Commission regret that no solution has been reached in the commercial dispute between Gazprom and Naftogaz.

The Presidency and the Commission urge both sides and their governments to continue negotiations and rapidly reach a successful outcome so that gas supplies to the EU are not affected. „ All existing commitments to supply and transit must be honoured,“ said Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra. European Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs said the situation at the EU border will be monitored closely. „The EU trusts that we can count upon assurances given that gas supplies to the EU will be unaffected, as a demonstration of the reliability of its gas suppliers,“ the Commissioner said. The Presidency and the Commission are in contact with both sides. contacts: Michaela Jelínková, spokesperson for the Deputy Czech PM for EU affairs tel.: +420 224 002 796, GSM: +420 724 258 939; e-mail: jelinkova.michaela@vlada.cz Christiane Hohmann, European Commission spokesperson tel.: +32 2 299 11 96, GSM: +32 498 99 11 96; e-mail: christiane.hohmann@ec.europa.eu