Energy Ties With Russia 'Important' for EU Despite Existing Tensions

The European Commission’s proposals on increasing energy security in the European Union is not based is not related to ties with Russia’s energy giant Gazprom, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said Tuesday.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – Energy ties with Russia are important for the European Union despite existing tensions, Sefcovic said.

“The assumption that this whole package is related to the Gazprom issue is definitely wrong. I mean we’ve been working on it already for years… I think if it comes to our relationship with Russia, it’s extremely complex right now. If it comes to energy, then they were, they are and they will be very important partners of the European Union,” Sefcovic said at a press conference.

The European Commission offered to increase the transparency of energy agreements, she added.

The European Commission on Tuesday adopted a package of sustainable energy security measures.

New norms are expected to come into effect after the package is approved by all concerned EU institutions, such as the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union.

"We are proposing to increase [the] transparency of intergovernmental agreements and commercial contracts," Sefcovic said, speaking about the package.

Gazprom is the world's largest natural gas producer and a major gas supplier for many nations in Central and Eastern Europe, dominating their markets with a share well above 50 percent and in some cases at 100 percent.