European Nations link energy infrastructure amid concerns over Russia

(Vatican Radio)  Fifteen European nations have endorsed an action plan to link and improve their energy infrastructure in an effort to reduce the threat of Russia choking off supplies. The agreement signed in Dubrovnik, Croatia, was backed by the European Commission, the European Union's executive, amid concerns over Russia's influence over energy.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

Fighting between Russian-backed separatists and government forces in Ukraine and Russia’s decision to cancel a $45 billion natural gas pipeline to Europe shocked nations from Austria to Bulgaria. 

That's why fifteen countries, most of them from the former Soviet bloc, agreed in Dubrovnik to ultimately ensure each of them maintains three separate sources of supply. 

Ministers met with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission’s vice president in charge of energy union, who had pushed for the deal. "To secure competitive and sustainable energy for all Europeans, we just simply need to work much closer together," he said.  

Significant Supplies

Currently Russia supplies 27 percent of the natural gas that feeds the European Union, some of which travels through pipelines crossing Ukraine. The fifteen countries who want to cooperate, import more than half of their energy from Russia.

They stand between energy-hungry markets of western Europe and gas fields around the Caspian Sea owned by Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

The list of priority projects agreed Friday includes the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, which will help to ship Azeri natural gas to Italy, Greece, Albania and Bulgaria. 

Friday's memorandum of understanding was signed by Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine, officials said. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Moldova are expected to sign at a later stage.