European Commission Aims to Conclude Talks with Ukraine and Russia by Summer

European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic has announced his goal to conclude talks with Ukraine and Russia by the summer, with the objective of ensuring the security of gas supply for the next winter and beyond. Summer in Brussels is considered to begin in August, when the European institutions take their holiday. The talks aim to resolve the pricing dispute between Ukraine and Gazprom, which resulted in a supply cut-off to Kiev last year. A temporary deal was secured through commission-brokered talks, but Sefcovic wants to extend it until a permanent solution is agreed upon through arbitration in Stockholm, expected to take until late 2016.

Key Takeaways:

The European Commission is working to resolve the gas supply dispute between Ukraine and Russia, with a goal of concluding talks by summer.
Ukraine is a crucial transit route for around half of the gas Russia pumps to the European Union, making the resolution of this dispute critical for gas supply security.
The temporary deal secured through commission-brokered talks has been extended until arbitration in Stockholm can agree on a permanent solution.
The Commission is keen to prolong the winter package negotiated late last year by former Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger, which involves gas price discounts for Ukraine.
Ukraine is seeking to reform its outdated and inefficient energy infrastructure as a condition for EU support.
Sefcovic has emphasized the importance of Ukraine continuing to reform its energy sector in order to receive continued support from the EU.

Statistics:

Ukraine is a transit route for around half of the gas Russia pumps to the European Union.
The gas supply cut-off to Kiev in 2015 resulted from a pricing dispute between Ukraine and Gazprom.
The European Commission has brokered temporary talks to secure a gas supply deal until a permanent solution is reached.
The arbitration process in Stockholm is expected to conclude by the end of 2016.
The winter package negotiated by former Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger involves gas price discounts for Ukraine.

Sources:

Maros Sefcovic, European Commission Vice President
European Commission
Gazprom
Ukrainian government
Günther Oettinger, former Energy Commissioner