Third Energy Package: dispute between Russia and the EU
During the visit in Brussels on 24 February, Vladimir Putin tried to push own energy policy model to the EU. Negotiations were indeed very difficult and parties didn’t manage to coordinate their positions. But the EU’s third internal energy market package took effect on 3 March. READ MORE
EU water blueprint to pave way for savings targets
A major review of Europe's water policies next year will pave the way for savings targets to be adopted by member states and industries, according to a senior EU official who was speaking on World Water Day. READ MORE
Russia, Kazakhstan team up to produce rare earth metals
Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) and Kazakhstan's uranium producer Kazatomprom signed a memorandum of intent to cooperate in the production and sales of rare earth metals, the market for which is squeezed by Chinese export restrictions, Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom), said on Wednesday. READ MORE
Russia’s response to the Libyan crisis: a paradigm shift?
What does Russia's divergent response to international action in North Africa say about future foreign-policy choices in the region? READ MORE
President Obama calls for one-third cut to oil imports
President Obama called for a one-third cut in oil imports by 2025 to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign petroleum. READ MORE
Serbia: South Stream for sure?
Will Serbia get a piece of Gazprom’s South Stream pipeline or not? Vladimir Putin, Russia’s prime minister, rattled nerves across the region this week by saying “different versions” of the route were under consideration. READ MORE
Wind energy surplus threatens eastern German power grid
More than one third of Germany's 21,500 wind turbines are located in the nation's east. This concentration of generating capacity regularly overloads the region's electricity grid, threatening blackouts. READ MORE
Russia takes on board Slovenia in South Stream venture
Russia signed a deal with EU member Slovenia , paving the way for the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline through the Adriatic country. READ MORE
Discussing nuclear energy
VILNIUS - The tragedy of Japan, including the nuclear accident in Fukushima, got an immediate response from Lithuanian hearts. Over 200,000 litas (58,000 euros) in donations, mostly via calls to charity phone numbers, were collected by ordinary Lithuanians during the first five days after the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, and the charity action continues. That sum from the first five days is almost equal to the Lithuanian government’s help in blankets and sleeping-bags for Japan. READ MORE
Odessa-Brody Pipeline Operating On Azerbaijani Oil
Oil delivered by Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR) is moving through Ukraine’s Odessa-Brody pipeline at the moment, a portion of it heading for Belarus (BELTA, March 24). SOCAR expects to deliver oil to Poland also through the Odessa-Brody pipeline. The line runs from the Pivdenny terminal on the Black Sea to the Brody junction on the Druzhba pipeline, near the Ukrainian-Polish border. For the first time since its commissioning in 2004, the line is now operating as intended, south-north, for transporting Caspian oil into Central Europe. READ MORE
