Ukraine assumed the presidency of the European Energy Community in 2014, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported.

"In accordance with the rules of procedure of the [Energy Community's] Ministerial Council, the presidency by EC member states of this organization is carried out in alphabetical order. Thus, Ukraine's chairmanship began on January 1 and will end on December 31, 2014," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis said at a briefing on Tuesday.

He added that the priorities of Ukraine's chairmanship would be the fulfillment of the main tasks facing the organization at this stage, in particular, the preparation of proposals to update the treaty establishing the Energy Community, which would increasingly unite the efforts of member countries in the development of energy, improve the competitiveness of companies on the market, as well as create more effective mechanisms for mutual assistance and the protection of interests.

Moreover, Kyiv selected as a priority ensuring the implementation of a number of decisions of the Energy Community's Ministerial Council regarding the implementation in the national legislation of the member countries of the so-called "third energy package" and a number of other EU policy documents in the field of ecology, energy efficiency, open markets etc.

"It is expected that the main event within the Ukrainian presidency of the European Energy Community will be the annual meeting of the Ministerial Council of this organization, which is to be held in September this year in Kyiv," he said.