The Russian government wants to conclude next week with Greece an energy agreement in the billions. The public hearing circles in Moscow on demand “world.”
“Yes, it’s true,” said a Russian source familiar with the negotiations between Kremlin Minister Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is familiar. “We are preparing actively such agreement before.” A positive conclusion of the talks was “very likely”.
Earlier already “Spiegel Online” reports with reference to a senior Greek officials that such an agreement imminent for next week. The agreement would rinse the risk of bankruptcy ashore between three and five billion euros in the treasury.
Athens provides cheap transit of Russian gas
According to reports, Greece will pay back the Russian billion loan by Athens agree to the extension of the Russian pipeline Turkish stream through Greece and thereby granted large discounts on transit fees.
How the Russian source of the “world”, said that it is about prepaid future profits. The precise amount of the advance they can not be made, however. Said frame of three to five billion euros sword but “realistic”.
A review of the project is difficult at this early stage. However, it is already clear that a new Russian pipeline would be extremely problematic in an EU country. In addition, an extension of the Turkish stream into Greece would not fit in the recently revised strategy of the Russian energy giant Gazprom.
Russia was only last year with the failed attempt to bring the South Stream pipeline across the Black Sea through the Russian gas in the EU country Bulgaria. The EU Commission presented at the project transversely because it did not conform to European competition rules.
reservations of the European Commission very likely
The pipeline operation must be independent under the rules of the European Union organized by gas producers. This “unbundling” (English: “unbundling”) is intended to prevent the creation of a dominant position in the liberalized energy market. In addition, a pipeline must be as “natural pipeline monopoly” also be transferred to third non-discriminatory basis to use.
Russia was not ready, this competition provisions of the EU Commission in all comply with points. Because of the resistance of the EU Commission President Putin said the construction of the South Stream to Bulgaria from the end of last year.
A new pipeline project, this time on the bottom of the EU Member State Greece would, however, take on the same competition concerns of the European Commission.
Parallel to stop the building of the South Stream was Russia last year also a change of strategy announced. The controlled by the Kremlin energy giant Gazprom will will no longer try to penetrate the Western European retail market continues to dominate all stages of the value chain “from the well to the boiler,” said Putin.
The billion takeover of Germany’s major gas conveyor Wintershall of the BASF has therefore been called off. Last week, Gazprom then sold a 10.5 percent stake in Leipzig gas importer VNG. In the future, the Western European buyers would have to “pick up at the Turkish border,” the gas, said Putin. Turkey should be expanded to the southern European hub for natural gas (gas hub).
pipeline deal does not match the new Gazprom strategy
In order to achieve this goal is to Russian gas with a new Black Sea pipeline, the Turkish stream, landed in Turkey. An extension of the Turkish stream by Greece through, as it is now being considered apparently, does not match the announced withdrawal from the European market, as the new endpoint of the Turkish stream would then yes again subject to EU regulation.
completely unclear is also still the consent of the Turkish government. It is true that Ankara has an interest in ensuring that a Turkish stream towards Western Europe find a connection.
However, Putin promised that Turkey is the new Southern European gas hub should be. Now he seems to have the advantage over the rival Greece made a similar commitment. Hopes for a strong position as a future “energy hub” in any case already communicated in Athens government circles.
Moreover, Russia is Greece already opposed in other areas. Thus, the price of gas for Greece would henceforth “comparable” to the Ukraine to be as Energy Minister Alexander Nowak on Saturday said in an interview with the “world”. Ukraine currently pays only $ 248 per 1,000 cubic meters. Greece Russia had also offered to participate in the development of shelf deposits of oil and gas. “We consider now,” said Nowak.
Europe gets better gas from Azerbaijan
As this kind of advances be absorbed by the Erdogan government in Turkey, is not yet known. Only A letter of intent for the Russian-Turkish pipeline connection. The project depends on whether Europe is building ever a connection pipeline from Turkey
And this is by no means certain. For the European Union had just starting the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) access to non-Russian gas saved from the Caspian Sea. The natural gas from Azerbaijan is placed on the Turkish-Azerbaijani TANAP pipeline to the Greek border and routed there by TAP across the Adriatic Sea to Italy. At the TAP Western European energy companies such as BP and E.ON are involved.
Although TAP is designed only for relatively small amounts of natural gas. However, the capacity of the new planned pipeline can be increased relatively rapidly. A branch of Albania shall also provide and Eastern European countries with the fuel from the Caspian gas field Shah Deniz II.
Against this background, the connection would have a new Turkish stream for the European Union probably not a very high priority.
Athens rubles would need only relieve
Donors Greece did not comment on this because even possible deal. So far, the pipeline was not an issue in the ongoing talks with Greece in Brussels and Athens on other loans, it said in Brussels. In principle, it would be with such a business by a pledge. Greece gets a loan against the resignation of the expected profits from the pipeline project.
The billions could Greece during the current credit dispute with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund provide some relief. Next week, a time limit expires, to which the partners would agree on an initial reform list, which would have led to a disbursement of loans in the amount of 7.2 billion euros by themselves.
A longer-term solution to the Greek financial problem, the Moscow billion, however. That there would be no further reforms without credit, the European Commission has already made clear. “The progress in the technical discussions hold unfortunately limited,” said Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis on the edge of the Spring International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington.
” It is time to step up the pace of the negotiations, “said Dombrovskis. Given the current progress of negotiations, the euro zone finance ministers could hardly decide at their meeting in Riga on Friday over the disbursement of loans.
“To further funds to get, Greece has made sufficient progress in structural reforms show, “Dombrovskis said. “There is no way, which passes it. Now the last moment has come to work more intensively.”
No comments:
Post a Comment