The new energy union can bar a flow of Russian gas to Europe. Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel brought forward the idea of creating the robust energy union amid growing concern about reliable energy supplies in her recent speech. First and foremost, the energy union is needed for Eastern Europe which entirely depends on Russia, Europe’s largest energy supplier. Some advanced European economies can afford alternative energy sources. However, Eastern and Central Europe fully rely on Moscow. “The main concern is whether we have a solid foundation for the energy union,” the Chancellor said. Indeed, the EU treaties make clear that energy choices are a national issue. So, the unanimous accord among governments of the EU countries will enable the energy union to operate efficiently. The European Commission adopted its keenly-awaited strategy on the energy union which suggests building a large-scale network of pipelines, each European country will be provided with access to it. “We have already made considerable progress and must go on with the work. The network is being under construction. In the past, every country pursued its own energy policy and made its own decisions. At present, the common energy market is being founded. So things will develop in a different way,” Angela Merkel noted. Experts termed the new infrastructure project the milestone of the contemporary EU energy policy. The Chancellor’s statements fully coincide with the stance of Ukraine’s government. Interestingly, Ukraine’s Premier Arseniy Yatsenyuk affirmed in April that “Ukraine has achieved gas independence”, thus giving up Russian gas supplies.
