EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU capitals should create a united front in order to beef up their position vis-a-vis major energy suppliers such as Russia, the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggested on Thursday (4 September). "Many EU member states prefer to maintain their bilateral relationships with supplier countries, which may affect the strength of the EU to act as a single entity," IEA chief Nobuo Tanaka said, labelling the current fragmented approach "perhaps the weakest policy area." Russia's actions in Georgia in August have only heightened concerns about European energy security "In the long run, it means they [EU states] will lose out," Mr Tanaka stressed. Russia supplies the 27-nation bloc with a third of its oil and 40 percent of its natural gas - a dependence expected to rise significantly in the future.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU capitals should create a united front in order to beef up their position vis-a-vis major energy suppliers such as Russia, the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggested on Thursday (4 September).
"Many EU member states prefer to maintain their bilateral relationships with supplier countries, which may affect the strength of the EU to act as a single entity," IEA chief Nobuo Tanaka said, labelling the current fragmented approach "perhaps the weakest policy area."
Russia's actions in Georgia in August have only heightened concerns about European energy security
"In the long run, it means they [EU states] will lose out," Mr Tanaka stressed.
Russia supplies the 27-nation bloc with a third of its oil and 40 percent of its natural gas - a dependence expected to rise significantly in the future.
