V ECONOMIC FORUM EUROPE - RUSSIA has just finished
Between 25 - 27 May took place V Forum Europe - Russia in Bucharest. In the Forum organized under the patronage of the President of Romania Traian Băsescu took part over 160 representatives representing world’s diplomacy, economy and science. Marek Woszczyk, the URE Vice-President participated in panel devoted to energy security of the European Union.
On the forum the participants discussed about common both for European Union and Russia challenges in world diplomacy, foreign direct investment, possible ways for developing financial markets of the EU and Russia, European Security Architecture and New Role of Russia in implementing approach based on cooperation. During the discussion concerning energy security of European Union Marek Woszczyk, the URE Vice-President, most of his attention concentrated on issues regarding the import of gaseous fuels.
Woszczyk paid attention to the fact that natural gas is the carrier of around ¼ of the total original energy consumed presently in the EU, whereas the share of Russian origin gas is de facto (for many years) 6 - 7 % of this energy. Statistical data clearly indicates than, that the problem of energy security in the scope of gas import from Russia, as seen from the EU perspective as a whole, has a totally different dimension and importance, than the same problem seen through the dependence on import of Russian gas of each economy within the member states of the EU.
- With some simplification it is possible to say, that the natural gas markets of EU countries in the middle and eastern Europe (in most cases markets rather small in comparison to the EU as a whole) remain in significant level (for example in the case of Poland in around 2/3) dependent from gas supply from Russia. At the same time , countries of west Europe, which are the biggest consumers of Russian gas in the European Union (such as Germany and Italy), enjoy considerable level of diversification of directions and methods of gas deliveries. - said Marek Woszczyk during his presentation. - The method to improve the security condition in the scope of natural gas supply in every EU member country is to build a truly unified pan-European gas market. A unified market means leveling existing barriers concerning risks in gas supply disturbances on the territory of particular member countries as a result of possibilities to reallocate freely gas deliveries between national gas systems.