Guenther Oettinger News

Bulgaria will not resume work on the Russian-led South Stream gas pipeline project until it receives the all clear from the European Commission, Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski said on Sunday. In a move that could inflame tensions between Russia and the European Union, the 28-nation bloc's executive arm last week asked the Balkan country to suspend work on Gazprom's South Stream project pending a decision on whether it complies with EU law. The pipeline is being built to transport 63 billion cubic metres of gas per year under the Black Sea through Bulgaria to central and southern Europe, bypassing Ukraine, as Russia seeks to cement its position as Europe's dominant gas supplier.

Moscow , Kiev and Brussels will restart Talks on Russian Gas Supplies on Monday to TRY to resolve a Dispute over price, a Russian Energy Ministry Official Said on Sunday. "The next (Round) of Trilateral Negotiations Tomorrow Evening will Take place in Brussels , "a spokeswoman for the Energy Ministry Said. Russia 's Energy minister Alexander Novak, his Ukrainian counterpart Yuri Prodan and the European Union 's Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger will Take Part in the Talks. Russia 's Gazprom and Ukraine State Energy Company Naftogaz met for Two days in Berlin Last week to TRY to Settle Dispute which could threaten the Gas flows to Europe . Ukraine and Russia Differ on How much Naftogaz has to Pay for the Gas.

Russia and Ukraine agreed on Monday to examine a payment plan to settle Kiev's multi-billion gas debts and fix a price for supplies until June 2015, offering the promise of averting an energy crisis over the crucial winter period. The argument over prices for natural gas has added to tensions as the two countries have squared off over Moscow's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and over a pro-Russian rebel uprising in eastern Ukraine. Russia's Gazprom had been threatening to cut off Ukraine's gas on Tuesday, with potential knock-on effects for the European Union because much of the gas it receives from Russia is pumped via Ukraine. But the immediate threat of a supply disruption was avoided after Kiev paid a first instalment, prompting Gazprom on Monday to grant it a week's grace.

Ukraine is prepared to pay arrears to Russia for gas once it has a contract with Moscow and will take the country to court if it refuses to sign, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk was quoted as saying by a German newspaper on Saturday. Ukraine told Russia on Friday a $786 million partial payment on a bill that Russia says could exceed $5 billion by next week was on its way to Moscow. That averted an immediate threat that Russia would stop supplying the former Soviet republic with gas if it fails to make advance payments. In an interview with Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Yatseniuk said Ukraine's only demand was to get a "fair contract" and gas should not be used as a "political weapon".

Europe's Energy Commissioner said on Monday Ukraine and Russia had made further progress in a dispute over gas prices and his proposal that Ukraine to pay $2 billion of back debt by Thursday could pave the way for further talks on Friday. Speaking after three-way talks with Russia's and Ukraine's energy ministers, Guenther Oettinger said the two governments would study his proposal that Ukraine pay Russia $2 billion by Thursday and a further $500 million by June 7. Oettinger, acting as a mediator in the capital of his home country Germany, said if the governments agreed to the deal, further talks about the gas price from April could then be held from Friday. "We've achieved progress but we didn't achieve a breakthrough," Oettinger told reporters at a news conference in Berlin.