The Czech Presidency of the European Union has said that Russia and Ukraine currently face the difficult task of regaining the confidence of European consumers.
The dispute between Ukraine and Russia has damaged confidence in the two countries. To rebuild European consumers' confidence is now a challenge both for Russia and Ukraine, reads a statement released by the presidency in Brussels on Tuesday.
The statement read that due to the dispute, the situation in many EU member states and candidate countries has reached a critical stage. The European Union managed to see the crisis out thanks only to mutual solidarity and the flexible reaction of the market and the industry. The EU needs, however, to support all measures that will protect EU citizens from becoming hostages to future disputes between third countries, reads the document.
In this connection, energy security is one of the key priorities of the Czech EU Presidency. It has now become clear that the EU's main tasks are: enhancing the transparency of gas flows, demand for gas and its storage, enhancing solidarity arrangements among EU member states, improving the interconnection of EU energy networks, and increasing the diversification of energy sources and transit routes.
The resumption of gas deliveries is a result of sustained political pressure from the Czech Presidency and the European Commission, who acted with the full support of EU member states. It was reached thanks to the clear and united position of the European Union, which has spoken with one voice throughout the dispute, the statement read.
