Moscow rejects EU energy demands

Russia has rejected EU demands to open its energy markets after a meeting in Moscow.

The EU-Russia troika meeting on Monday failed to achieve the breakthrough Brussels had hoped for on energy issues.

Speaking at the meeting, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow remains opposed to the EU’s push to allow foreign investors greater access to Russia’s oil and natural gas deposits. 

"We don't reject the principles of the Energy Charter," Lavrov said. "However, some of its mechanisms related to transit and investment are unacceptable for us."

The talks were attended by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who represented the German EU presidency.

Lavrov also said Russia saw no need to create new international structures in the energy field.

His words are a sharp setback for the EU, which is intent on developing more rule-bound and reliable energy relations with Moscow.

EU leaders have been trying to persuade Russia to ratify the Energy Charter, which would allow for market competition between foreign and independent companies.

European concerns over Russia’s reliability as an energy supplier have heightened in recent months following the interruption of supplies over price disputes with Russia’s neighbours.

Western oil companies have also been pushed out of Russian oil fields, raising concerns over how open Russian markets are to foreign investors.

The EU wants to seal fair rules and standards on energy into a new EU-Russia partnership, but talks on the new agreement are still stalled because of a Polish veto in retaliation to a Russian ban on Polish imports. 

Lavrov said Russia expects Poland to help resolve the standoff soon, describing the delays as “artificial”.

Meanwhile Steinmeier declared himself optimistic that the EU and Russia will make progress on talks.

"I can imagine broader cooperation in the field of energy relations and I hope that the hurdles which are still in the way of opening the talks will be done away with soon," Steinmeier said.

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