Estonia Considers Finding Alternative Energy Sources Key Issue for EU Energy Security
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet participated in the Informal Ministerial Meeting of the General Affairs Council in Prague on Thursday, 8 January.
The focus was on energy security matters. Due to Russia’s decision to
cut off the gas supply to Ukraine, some of the European Union’s gas
supplies have also been drastically reduced.
Foreign Minister
Urmas Paet stated that it is regrettable that Russia and Ukraine have
not reached an agreement and now many European Union nations have also
been placed in a difficult situation. Paet said that negotiations being
held over gas prices should not be tied to politics. “Negotiations on
the price of gas should be held on a purely economic basis, and Russia
should adhere to principles of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and
the energy charter in order to guarantee the transparency of the price
determining process,” said Paet. However, the foreign minister did
express hope that the parties would reach an agreement on the issue
soon and Russia would restore the gas supply to Ukraine. It is also
very important that the supply of gas to European Union member states
be restored immediately.
“At the same time, the European Union
should focus more than it has before on a common energy policy and
finding alternative energy sources and suppliers. For this, it is
necessary to create new connections with Central Asia and Azerbaijan,”
said Foreign Minister Urmas Paet. Paet stated that improving the
internal connections of the European Union is also important, so that
in a crisis situation it would be possible to redistribute the EU’s
internal gas supplies.
At the meeting, the European Union
presidency, the Czech Republic, expressed its desire to organise a
meeting of the European Union Southern Corridor in the near future.
“Estonia welcomes this initiative completely, since reducing Europe’s
reliance on a single supplier is important to the European Union’s
energy and security policy and should be one of the primary priorities
of the Union,” emphasised Paet.
The Southern Corridor
(East-West Link) is the collective name given to energy transport
projects from the Caspian region to the European Union. The primary
projects in the Southern Corridor are the development of the Nabucco
gas pipeline (from Turkey to Central Europe), the White Stream gas
pipeline (from Georgia through the Black Sea to Romania and/or Ukraine,
and from there to Central Europe), and the Odessa-Brody-Plock oil
pipeline.
on 08-01-2009 By Giovanni Angioni - Estonia - Russia relations
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Alternative energy, means Wind, Solar or Geothermal, etc. energy. For the Estonian Government means only a different pipeline to receive gas or oil. This isn't the solution but what do you aspect from a country that consider the 33% of the population a minorities. Even worst is when around the table at the EU council we have ten countries that doesn't believe in EU and don t understand which are the problem with climate. Nothing worst could happen to have a Czech president in a time where there Economic Crises, Energy crises (Russia doesn t accept today the agreement under Czech president because maybe the have American Missile on their territory?), and there is one of the worst Crises in the Middle-East. Good Luck EU15, let s see if the enlargement was a mistake.
"Due to Russia’s decision to cut off the gas supply to Ukraine, some of the European Union’s gas supplies have also been drastically reduced."
This is not just russian decision. This is about unprecendent behaviour of Ukraine, they just want to have russian gas for free. Is it normal for Europe? Russia has enough gas for EU countries, just be good partner and impartial actor of european policy.
25,6% of Estonian population is Russian.Well i don't belive your assumptions.
I love how all the pro Russian trolls love to come out and bash Estonia on any website they can. The only people who complain about the treatment of the Russian minority are those who don't live in Estonia.
As Russia slides further and further into totalitarianism it is incumbent on the EU to secure alternative gas supplies. For this very reason the EU is negotiating an extensive free trade deal with Canada. A stable country with immense gas reserves that is investing in LNG facilities to export that gas across the Atlantic.
Those living in Estonia may not complain so much, but sometimes they riot bashing on Estonian targets in the very Estonian capital.
The whole world has an energy shortage problem. We must look to Sweden for some really good Northern Climate solutions. The Americans are the most wasteful people on earth and destroy their own rivers, lakes and seashores with methane rich fuel producing human and animal wastes! Even Oslo, Norway has a plan.SEE: Free, friendly and non-fossil – biomethane from human waste will soon power public transport in Oslo, the capital city of Norway. http://ecoworldly.com/2009/01/29/hu...
Solar, Wind, Wave, Hydro, Tidal and Geothermal power are renewable, or perpetual if you will, and with good population control, like China already has, you can balance, enough people for available power and enough power for number of people, a modern day absolute for survival that India may learn the hardest way possible: starvation for a large part of its exploding population! We hope the educated ones see this before the slaughter and do something about it. Estonia will, and others must, break with any wasteful conventions and make great changes. Nothing is impossible and more power to a tiny nation struggling against world giants like the U.S.A. and China.