Since 2000, EU and Russia have maintained a dialogue on energy with regular meetings.
From the 2004 report, the issues covered in the dialogue includes:

• Russian accession to WTO, energy issues
• Kyoto Protocol
• strategic oil stocks
• energy efficiency with conferences, preparing pilot projects in Arkhangelsk. Astrakan and Kaliningrad.
• investment support mechanisms discussing a scheme to mitigate non-commercial risk and guarantees for investments in energy efficiency
• electricity interconnections, discussing a level playing field and direct connections of the Western European UCTE system with the Russian IPS/UPS system.
• Trade in nuclear materials, discussing an agreement for this trade
• infrastructure projects, discussing gas pipelines in particular the Northern Trans-European gas pipeline and the need for oil pipelines, as well as the TACIS support of 3 mill € for gas and oil pipelines observation and modernisation.
• Satelline navigation
• Maritime safety, oil tankers included
• The EU Russia energy technology center that works on technologies for coal, oil, gas and other energies.
  

INFORSE-Europe Opinion
It is the opinion of INFORSE-Europe that the dialogue has too much focus on traditional forms of energy and should increase its focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The electricity interconnections must not lead to environmental dumping of electricity, thus the requirement of equal environmental and safety standard is important.

The dialogue should not lead to sale of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel from EU countries to Russia.

Read the EU Commission's Page on the dialogue
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/international/bilateral_cooperation/russia/russia_en.htm

« Return to EU Policy page