EU-DIGEST

The plans to build the politically and environmentally controversial Nord Stream pipeline have been in the air since 1997. With Finland and Sweden finally saying “yes” to the pipeline in their waters, the wheels of construction are now in full speed with the first line to be opened in the 2011. This will bring relief to Europe that is struggling with energy supply--yet not everyone is a winner.

The European Union accounts for 16% of the World's energy consumption but has only 6 % of the world's population. Natural gas comprises 24% of EU energy consumption. EU27 in 2007 consumed 505 bcm of natural gas per year according to Eurogas. This is expected to increase to 578 bcm by 2020 (estimations vary, some analysts claim that the gas consumption will decrease drastically). 40 % (128 bcm) of the natural gas is imported from Russia. The EU is also estimated to import 70% - 80 % of its energy supplies by 2030 as the North Sea gas supplies are diminishing; over 60 % of natural gas imports are expected to come from Russia. 10 % of the total EU gas demand would be covered by the Nord Stream. Natural gas will remain the fuel of preference for the EU because of its greener properties. In addition to that, phasing out nuclear power stations puts more strain on alternative energy sources. The pipelines that are running through Ukraine are aging and it is debatable at what capacity they would be running at by 2020: The EU offered Ukraine a loan of $2.5bn to revamp its pipeline infrastructure in March 2009, but it is debatable if this money went to pipeline upgrade projects as a proportion of that loan would have gone to repay existing gas debts to Russia; according to prime minister Tymoshenko, Ukraine would need an extra $3.5bn for the revamp of current pipelines.

Labels: Baltic Pipeline, Energy, EU, Gas Supplies, Russia

EEStor Capacitors- "This could change everything"- by Lloyd Alter

Tyler Hamilton of the Toronto Star and website Clean Break has been digging around a very secretive company. Asking them for information they said: "EEStor is not making public statements at present time," company co-founder and chief executive Richard Weir replied when the Toronto Star requested an interview via email. "EEStor would also like to have you and your paper not publish any articles about our company and the Toronto Star is certainly not authorized to publish this response." which of course he published instantly in Canada's biggest newspaper, BoingBoing style. What they are doing in Austin with their Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers money is developing a "parallel plate capacitor with barium titanate as the dielectric" or hyper capacitor as John recently coined.

The batteries fully charge in minutes as opposed to hours. * Whereas with lead acid batteries you might get lucky to have 500 to 700 recharge cycles, the EEStor technology has been tested up to a million cycles with no material degradation. * EEStor's technology could be used in more than low-speed electric vehicles. The company envisions using it for full-speed pure electric vehicles, hybrid-electrics (including plug-ins), military applications, backup power and even large-scale utility storage for intermittent renewable power sources such as wind and solar. * Because it's a solid state battery rather than a chemical battery, such being the case for lithium ion technology, there would be no overheating and thus safety concerns with using it in a vehicle. * Finally, with volume manufacturing it's expected to be cost-competitive with lead-acid technology. "It's the holy grail of battery technology," said my source. "It means you could do a highway capable electric city car that would recharge in three or four minutes and drive you from Toronto to Montreal. Consumers wouldn't notice the difference from driving an electric car versus a gas-powered car."

Labels: Electric energy, Energy, EU, World Economy

EU must improve energy securit says EC report

The European Union must improve the security of its energy supplies with offshore wind turbines and gas pipelines to the Caspian region, according to a European Commission report. The 27-nation EU currently meets 54 percent of its energy needs with imports and its dependence on foreign sources has no chance of changing any time soon, according to a report the commission is to publish on Thursday.The report, obtained by AFP, singled out the EU's dependence on foreign gas as a particular cause of concern, with 61 percent of supplies coming from outside the bloc. Although the EU has a diverse range of gas suppliers including Russia, Norway, Algeria and other countries, some member states are particularly dependent on one supplier, as is the case with the Baltic countries and Russia.

Labels: Energy, EU, security

German Ministry of Foreign affairs protests mingling in EU energy security - by Vladimir Socor

According to German media reports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Berlin has protested to the U.S. Embassy over an op-ed article by the U.S. Ambassador in Sweden, who criticized the Russo-German Nord Stream gas pipeline project on the Baltic seabed and other aspects of Russian energy policy in Europe. German business leaders such as Eggert Voscherau of BASF (the world’s largest chemical concern and a partner in the Gazprom-led Nord Stream consortium) and left-leaning politicians such as Martin Schulz (the Social Democrats’ leader in the European Parliament) in turn complained that the United States was now publicly opposing Nord Stream and in doing so was “destabilizing Europe.” Former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the chairman of the Nord Stream consortium, portrayed Russia as a fully reliable energy supplier and dismissed the need for a diversification of Europe’s supplies. Note EU-Digest: Despite protests from Georgia and other former Eastern European block nations the EU and in particular its member states Germany, France and Italy seem to be on the right track to align themselves with Russia in developing a common energy policy within an overall cooperative economic treaty.

Labels: Energy, EU, Russia

Labels: Energy, EU, Russia

Labels: Alternative Energy Resources, Energy, EU

Labels: Energy, EU

GDF Suez to buy Dutch North Sea assets - by Rebecca Bream

Newly-formed French energy group GDF Suez said on Friday it was in exclusive talks to buy over €1bn worth of offshore oil and gas assets from a Dutch venture owned by Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil. The exploration, production and transportation assets are situated in the Dutch North Sea and includes stakes of between 30 and 60 per cent in five producing fields. Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (Nam), the Dutch venture, currently produces 3.3m barrels of oil equivalent per year from these assets.

Labels: Energy, EU, Netherlands

Labels: Energy, EU

Europe - A Hard Habit to Break, Even With Gasat $10 a Gallon - Elisabeth Rosenthal

Ten dollars a gallon may seem unthinkable to American drivers still smarting from the spike in gas prices to around $4 a gallon. But that was nearly the price that Marco Annarumi faced recently when filling his Jeep on his way home from work.Gas prices have persuaded some people to drive less. Traffic on the Eurostar train that links London and Paris was up 21 percent in the first three months of 2008. Gas purchases in Italy dropped 10 percent compared with the year before. Sales of gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles have plunged across the continent, just as they have in the United States. But, at least so far, there are few signs of the wholesale shift away from current driving habits that environmental economists contend is needed for European countries to meet emissions control targets. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says meeting the targets is crucial if the world is to prevent the worst effects of global warming.

Labels: Energy, EU, Gasoline prices

Labels: Energy, Europe, Russia

Moscow transforms real-world game of RISK - by Shawn McCarthy and Matthew Campbell

In early 2002, some 200 U.S. Special Forces soldiers landed in the former Soviet republic of Georgia to train the Georgian army in anti-terrorism techniques, including how to protect a planned oil pipeline from secessionist or anti-Western saboteurs. With strong encouragement from Washington, Georgia was finalizing a deal with its neighbours, Azerbaijan and Turkey, and Britain's BP PLC to build a $3.9-billion (U.S.) pipeline from the oil-rich Caspian region to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean Sea. The 1,768-kilometre, somewhat-circuitous route bypassed major U.S. rivals in the region, Russia and Iran, as well as Armenia, the traditional enemy of Turkey and Azerbaijan.It was part of the United States' effort to reduce Russia's dominance of the region's booming oil trade, and by doing so to encourage the development of independent-minded states on its rival's southern flank.

For more than a decade, Russia watched while the U.S. and Europe played the new “great game” of energy geopolitics in its own backyard. It was 10 years ago this weekend that Russia plunged into financial crisis by devaluing the ruble and defaulting on its mounting debt. With the Georgian invasion, the Kremlin has sent notice that it now controls the Risk board. And that it is willing to use its armed forces to back up what it regards as its national interest in neighbouring states. At stake is control over one of the world's most promising new sources of crude oil – one that could rival the impact of the North Sea a generation ago. The U.S., in particular, has worked strenuously to minimize Russia's influence over this energy development.

Labels: Energy, EU, Russia, US

China seeks Caucasian crisis windfall - by M K Bhadrakumar

A geopolitical convulsion measuring six points on the Richter scale is bound to produce aftershocks. The reverberations of the conflict in the Caucasus are beginning to be felt. We may be unwittingly bidding farewell to the "war on terror". In any case, the international community has lost interest in Osama bin Laden. Rice is sure to try to rally European opinion and to make a strong pitch for Georgia's membership of NATO. But major European powers apprehend Moscow will take NATO's further expansion into the territory of the former Soviet Union as a grave provocation. If Washington succeeds in overcoming their reluctance, US diplomacy registers a signal victory. Moscow seems to estimate Europe may ultimately succumb to US pressure. Its decision to go slow on withdrawing troops from the Georgian hinterland needs to be seen in this perspective.

In real terms, Europe is competing with China for Russian energy supplies. This competition may begin to border on rivalry. According to the US Department of Energy, Europe's demand for gas will rise by more than 50% by 2025. There is simply not enough gas going for Europe to sidestep Russian supplies. (Russia already meets 30% to 50% of Europe's energy needs.)

Labels: China, Energy, EU, Russia

Labels: Energy, EU, Russia

Labels: Energy, EU, Georgia, Russia

Weakness in the midst of Russia's strength - by Stefan Wagstyl

Ten years ago this month, the Russian financial crisis hit world markets. A decade later, everything appears to have changed. Russia is booming, its debts repaid, its foreign currency reserves climbing and its hotels full of Western business people. Russia's strongest card is its role as an energy supplier, notably to the European Union. But energy is a double-edged sword. The EU relies on Russia for over 25 per cent of its gas, but Russia depends on the EU for over 60 per cent of its gas revenues. Poor east European countries without suppliers are vulnerable, but not the EU as a whole.

Labels: Energy, Russia

France calls on gas-consuming countries to club together

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, said European countries should club together to give them greater bargaining power in their negotiations with gas suppliers such as Russia. At a time of soaring energy prices, 'we believe it would be better to strike a common stance in Europe,' Kouchner told a joint news conference with his Austrian counterpart Ursula Plassnik. 'Russia negotiates with us as if Europe didn't exist. They negotiate on a one-on-one basis which is understandable but not to our advantage,' he said.

The idea of a European gas purchasing centre, as proposed by the previous EU president Slovenia and taken up by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, would fit in with this, Kouchner argued, pointing out that such a facility already existed in the area of electricity. Note EU-Digest: This is an excellent idea and could also be applied in other areas related to energy supplies.

Labels: Energy, EU, France, Russia

Labels: Energy, EU, Germany

The way we see it - The energy crises

These days Europeans and most other people around the world feel they are getting soaked of every last penny from their government and big business on fuel prices. The question is who is right here and who is wrong, or is everyone to blame? The recent testimony of Big Oil executives on the US Capitol Hill is a classic case-in-point of the charade going on about energy and oil prices. Government policy spinners from both the left and the right marketed this hearing to the US public as a "stern interrogation" of those mainly responsible for the US’s rapidly deepening energy crisis. Afterwards the whole testimony turned out to be a dog-and-pony show. Despite the big oil corporations’ record profits, their pursuit of price gouging probably explains no more than 10 percent of the current price of gas at the pump. So, probably the whole focus on the oil companies, ruthless as they may appear to be, is simply a distraction.

Labels: Energy, Oil Prices, World Economy

Europe Joins 'Lights Out' for Earth Hour

From Rome's Colosseum to the Sydney Opera House, floodlit icons of civilization went dark Saturday for Earth Hour, a worldwide campaign to highlight the threat of climate change. The environmental group WWF urged governments, businesses and households to turn back to candle power for at least 60 minutes starting at 8 p.m. wherever they were. The campaign began last year in Australia, and traveled this year from the South Pacific to Europe in cadence with the setting of the sun. Several U.S. cities also planned symbolic blackouts or dimmings of monuments, including at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. "What's amazing is that it's transcending political boundaries and happening in places like China, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea," said Andy Ridley, executive director of Earth Hour. "It really seems to have resonated with anybody and everybody." Earth Hour officials hoped 100 million people would turn off their nonessential lights and electronic goods for the hour. Electricity plants produce greenhouse gases that fuel climate change.

Labels: Economy, Energy, Environment, EU

Russia's Raid On BP Raises Energy Questions - by Heidi Brown and Christopher Helman

A raid on the offices of BP and its Russian partner TNK-BP in Moscow has heightened concerns that the Kremlin is set to launch a new round of efforts to wrest control of Russian oil fields from private hands. In tandem with the raid on Wednesday, authorities took into custody two brothers, Alexander and Ilya Zaslavsky on charges of industrial espionage and for "illegally gathering secret commercial information for the benefit of several foreign oil and gas companies, in order to give them advantages over Russian competitors."

The brothers, who are American citizens, reportedly were released on Friday but told not to leave the country.

Labels: Energy, Russia

Europe idle as US battles meltdown - by Ambrose Evans - Pritchard

It is the first time since the Great Depression that the US Fed has stepped in directly to absorb credit losses, crossing a line deemed unthinkable just months ago. The dramatic late-night move on Sunday required dredging up Article 13 (3) of the Federal Reserve Act, which allows the Fed to shower money on almost anybody it wishes by a vote of five governors in "unusual and exigent circumstances".Jean-Michel Six, chief Europe economist at Standard & Poor's, said the Europeans were in no mood to rescue America. "There is monetary war going on. The ECB view is that Fed is a victim of its own mistakes and should pay for its past crimes. Frankly, they don't see why they should be cutting rates when inflation (3.3pc) is accelerating," he said.

There are now echoes of October 1987 when the German Bundesbank (and therefore Europe) refused to ease monetary policy, even though the dollar was in freefall and Wall Street was fragile. The spat was the backdrop to the Black Monday crash.

Note EU-Digest: The ECB is on the right track, the problems of the US economy are of the US her own making. If the ECB cuts the interest rates in Europe, inflation would rise and Europe's economy would also spiral into disaster.

Labels: Britain, Christianity, Energy, EU, EU Economy, euro, France, Gas Supplies, Healthcare, Iraq war, Islam, Italy, Romance, Russia, Sarkozy, Sex Appeal, Turkey, US, US Economy

Average gas price for Europe could rise to $400 in 2008 says Gazprom

Gazprom's CEO said on Friday that the average price for natural gas for Europe in 2008 could reach $400 per 1,000 cubic meters, 13% more than previously expected. "The price in Europe now exceeds $370. We believe the average price in 2008 could be $378 and could even reach $400 per 1,000 cubic meters," Alexei Miller said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Miller said the price hike was necessitated by the weakening U.S. dollar. However, he said the price increase would not affect the growing demand for natural gas on the European market. "Gazprom supplied 151 billion cubic meters of gas to the EU in 2007, and we plan [to ship] 157 billion cubic meters in 2008," he said.

Labels: Energy, EU, Russia

EU report warns of conflict with Russia over energy issue - by Jamie Smyth

A report on security challenges to the EU will bluntly warn the union's summit next week that Europe could face conflict with Russia over access to energy reserves in the Arctic and a dangerous surge in immigration due to the impact of climate change. And the report warns that the EU must address the reality that fragile states in Africa, Asia and the Middle East will be much worse off due to severe food and water shortages, which are likely to spark regional conflicts and humanitarian disasters. The warnings are contained in the report, Climate Change and International Security, from the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana and the commission to the EU leaders' meeting next week in Brussels.

It argues that climate change threatens to "overburden states and regions which are already fragile and conflict prone" and urges a radical rethink of EU policies to better protect its own political and security interests. The paper warns that competition over water and food supplies will fuel existing conflicts in Africa and intensify political instability in the Middle East where two-thirds of the Arab world rely on water sources outside their borders.

Labels: Conflict, Energy, EU, Russia

Dependence on Russian gas worries some – but not all – by David Francis

A month after Russia cut off gas supplies to the Ukraine for the first time in 2006, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the European Union – which gets 40 percent of its gas from Russia – needed to develop a common energy policy over the next 15 years to guarantee supply security. At the same time, Russian energy monopoly Gazprom, along with its German partners E.On and BASF-Wintershall, were deciding on "Nord Stream" as the name for a pipeline that would make Germany heavily dependent on Russia for energy for decades to come. Two years later, rumors of a common European energy policy are again circling Brussels. Russia rattled the European Union this week when it cut Ukrainian shipments by half, prompting Ukraine to threaten –briefly – to siphon Russian gas sent to Europe via Ukraine. Gazprom announced Wednesday that it was resuming full shipments.

the general sentiment in Washington toward dealing with Russia and Gazprom was perhaps best summed up at a recent talk in Washington by James Woolsey, who served as CIA director under former President Bill Clinton. "If you meet a really smart, articulate 45-year-old guy at the Noga Hilton bar in Geneva, and he says he's with Gazprom and he'd like to talk to you about a joint venture in some part of the world, he might be what he says he is," Mr. Woolsey said. "He might be a Russian intelligence officer under commercial cover. He might be a senior member of some Russian organized-crime family. And the really interesting thing is that there's a pretty good chance that he's all three, and that none of those institutions have any problem with that at all."

Labels: Energy, EU, Russia

Russian energy ties with Iran send U.S. a message - by Simon Webb and Amie Ferris-Rotman

As the United States warns the world away from business with Tehran, Moscow's tightening ties to Iran's energy sector underline Russia's differences with Washington over Iranian nuclear plans and Kosovo's independence. While the timing of Moscow's announcement on Tuesday may have been political, the deal for Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom to take on big new Iranian oil and gas projects was a long time in the making and dovetails with Gazprom's strategic ambitions, analysts said. Gazprom, the world's biggest gas producer, will play a larger role in developing Iran's giant South Pars gas field and will also drill for oil. "The Russian government and the United States are at loggerheads over how to engage with Iran, with Russia actively favoring a more open relationship," said Ronald Smith, chief strategist at Alfa Bank. "This makes Gazprom rather indifferent to American policy wishes."

Labels: Energy, EU, Iran, Russia

Russia, Serbia Close Ranks as EU Mulls Next Move

In the presence of Tadic and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia's state-controlled oil concern Gazprom and Serbia's NIS signed an agreement granting Gazprom control of 51 percent of the Serbian company for 400 million euros ($586 million). On Thursday, the current holder of the EU presidency, Slovenia, said the bloc hoped to sign a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia on closer integration "in the coming days." But an SAA could be delayed as the Netherlands and Belgium are blocking such a step until alleged Serbian war criminal Ratko Mladic is handed over to the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.

Labels: Energy, EU, Russia, Serbia

Bulgaria signs deal on new pipeline to Europe

Bulgaria has signed a deal with Moscow to join a major new pipeline project to bring Russian natural gas to Europe on the second day of a visit that Russian President Vladimir Putin used to lobby hard for the deal. The pipeline would deal a blow to European hopes of reducing dependence on Russia as an energy source amid fears in Brussels that Moscow is acquiring too much economic leverage over EU members. Speaking after the signing in Sofia, Putin said the deal will benefit European consumers by assuring new energy supplies. "I want to particularly stress that the construction of this new infrastructure does not mean a decrease in our cooperation with other transit countries," he said. "The creation of new routes ensures security, increases stability, and creates new transit capabilities for the growing supplies of energy resources to European consumers."

Labels: Bulgaria, Energy, EU, Pipeline, Russia

Russian president Vladimir Putin is expected to sign the agreement for South Stream gas pipeline during his visit to Bulgaria on January 17 and 18 2008. The South Stream gas pipeline, to be built by gas giants Gazprom of Russia and ENI of Italy, will deliver Russian gas to Austria, through its northern arm, and to Italy, through its southern. South Stream pipeline will be 900 km long and its annual capacity is expected to be at least 30 billion cu m of gas. The project will cost between 10 and 12 billion euro.

Labels: Bulgaria, Energy, EU, Gas Supplies, Russia

US Economy Crises - energy costs: Gasoline prices to go up to $ 4.00 per gallon in 2008 - Steve Geisi

After a record-smashing year with oil peaking at $99 a barrel in 2007, a triple-digit world of crude oil awaits in the coming year, energy experts say. Trading below $51 a barrel less than 12 months ago, crude prices hit their first in a fusillade of all-time highs in July and never looked back. While some blame the frothy crude market on speculation rather than the simple rules of supply and demand, the only force that managed to slow prices down at all this year was fear of an economic slowdown, as oil fell below $90 a barrel just weeks after hitting a record. But as the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates and moved to inject liquidity into the financial sector, oil prices have been creeping back as 2007 draws to a close. With its price spiking so quickly, the impact of record crude has yet to fully filter through the economy, but that's expected to change next year. Gasoline prices, which have held at about $3 a gallon for much of the year, could rise to about $4 a gallon in the new year, for example. About 54% of a Barclays survey of 150 commodity investors expect the average price of oil over the next five years to top $100.00. Eric Bolling, an independent oil trader at the Nymex, said conditions that led to a record-breaking year will likely persist over the next 12 months at least. "It's a weak dollar, it's a strong global economy, it's China growing quickly at 13%," he said. "It's been a perfect storm for a commodity bull run. That's going to continue to go. There's no signs of its slowing down, by any means." He sees oil ranging from $60 to $120 a barrel next year, with spikes as high as $130 or more in the case of a major hurricane or geopolitical flare-up.

Labels: Energy, Gasoline prices, US, World Economy

Group Touts Energy Saving vs. Renewables - by Jochen Luypaert

The European Union should focus on increasing energy efficiency rather than on promoting renewable energy if it wants to keep its industrial base and tackle climate change, a major EU business confederation has said. "By saving on the use of energy, we'll keep our industrial base in Europe which is important for jobs and growth," Ernest-Antoine Seillière, president of BusinessEurope - a Brussels-based business confederation representing 20 million European companies - said on Monday (26 November).

Labels: Energy, EU

Dutch court allows Srebrenica lawsuit against UN, Netherlands to proceed

A court in the Netherlands ruled Tuesday that the families of approximately 8,000 Bosnian Muslims who were killed in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre [BBC timeline; JURIST news archive] can proceed with their class action lawsuit [JURIST report; case backgrounder] against the United Nations and the Netherlands filed June 4, according to lawyer Marco Gerritsen, who represents approximately 6,000 family members of victims in the lawsuit. Gerritsen said the court ruled the case can proceed in spite of the UN's claim of immunity [JURIST report; press briefing transcript] under Article 2 Section 2 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations [PDF text], which says that the UN's property and assets "shall enjoy immunity from every form of legal process except it has expressly waived its immunity." The thousands of Srebrenica survivors who filed the lawsuit allege that both the Netherlands and the UN are liable for their failure to protect civilians, many of whom were refugees that relocated to the Srebrenica enclave declared [S/Res 819, PDF] to be a "safe area" by the UN Security Council in 1993.

Labels: Britain, China, Elections, Energy, EU, France, Immigration, Iran, Netherlands, Russia, Sarkozy, Sex, Trade, US

E. Africa bloc signs interim trade agreement with EU

Five East African countries agreed a new trade deal with the European Union on Tuesday, weeks before a preferential trade pact is due to expire, EU officials said. Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi -- which form the East African Community trading bloc -- and the European Commission inked an interim deal, covering goods and fisheries. The move was a step towards a new Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) covering issues such as services and investment to be reached by mid-2009, the Commission said.

Labels: Britain, China, Elections, Energy, EU, France, Immigration, Iran, Netherlands, Russia, Sarkozy, Sex, Trade, US

Number of New HIV Cases in European Union Nearly Double Since 1999, Report Says

The number of new HIV cases recorded in European Union countries has nearly doubled from 28.8 cases per one million residents in 1999 to 57.5 cases per one million residents in 2006, according to a report released on Friday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, BBC News reports. More than 50% of cases are through heterosexual transmission, although men who have sex with men are at higher risk of infection, ECDC said (BBC News, 11/23). The EuroHIV data, published in ECDC's journal Eurosurveillance, found that in 2006, a total of 86,912 new HIV cases were reported across 50 of the 53 countries of the World Health Organization European Region. A total of 26,220 cases, or 30%, reported in E.U. countries, according to the data. The average rate of new HIV diagnosis across Europe is about 111 cases per one million residents, and the rate among countries in the European Union is 67 cases per one million residents (ECDC release, 11/23). According to the report, the number of HIV cases is continuing to rise in non-E.U. areas of Europe, with 288 cases per one million residents in Ukraine and 275 cases per one million residents in Russia (BBC News, 11/23). The data indicate that former Soviet countries had the highest number of new HIV cases in 2006, primarily because of drug use, Reuters reports. Former Soviet countries reported 59,866 new HIV cases in 2006, which is more than all of the new cases in Western and Central Europe combined (Reuters, 11/23).

Labels: Britain, China, Elections, Energy, EU, France, Immigration, Iran, Netherlands, Russia, Sarkozy, Sex, Trade, US

UK broadband network 'lagging behind the rest of Europe' - by Gary Cleland

The broadband network needs urgent improvement or it will fall behind the rest of Europe, industry experts have claimed. Telecommunications leaders said internet access needed a faster broadband network to cope with rising demand for services. They claimed at a Government-organised summit that the flagging network could be left behind by other countries. Almost nine out of 10 British internet users connect via broadband yet they have to put up with some of the slowest broadband speeds in Europe - worse than Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

Labels: Britain, China, Elections, Energy, EU, France, Immigration, Iran, Netherlands, Russia, Sarkozy, Sex, Trade, US

EU to get its own GPS system: Galileo to be partially funded through EU farming subsidies

Following months of disagreements, the EU has reached a funding compromise and resolved the crisis around its Galileo satellite navigation system. Two thirds of the missing 2.4 billion euros will be provided from EU farming pots alone. This was announced by the Portuguese Chair of the European Council in Brussels on Friday night following more than 12 hours of budget negotiations for 2008 by the EU Ministers of Finance or their representatives. Germany could not uphold its reservations against fully funding Galileo from the EU budget, reported EU diplomats. Berlin didn't want to put the EU's long-term financial plan on the line, which runs until 2013. According to German Minister of Finance Peer Steinbrück, the German government was also apprehensive of straining its national budget by an additional more than 500 million euros. European Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget Dalia Grybauskaite spoke of an "important decision". As she had suggested, farming subsidies would for the first time be used to improve the EU's competitive position. The current Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Portuguese State Secretary of Finance Emanuel Augustos Santos, said that farming subsidies had not been exhausted this year, and that therefore nothing would be taken away from anybody.

Unlike the US system GPS, the European Galileo satellite navigation system is intended mainly for civilian purposes. It was initially planned to be available this year. The planned start has been postponed to 2013. Apart from the European Union, both China (COMPASS) and India (IRNSS) plan to launch their own satellite navigation systems into the earth orbit. The Russian GLONASS system is planned to be fully functional again from 2009.

Labels: Britain, China, Elections, Energy, EU, France, Immigration, Iran, Netherlands, Russia, Sarkozy, Sex, Trade, US

Dollar down, euro up, so what - by John M.Berry

The U.S. dollar is still at the center of the world's financial system, and its importance isn't fading in the face of exaggerated claims to the contrary.Nevertheless, the dollar continues to dominate foreign-exchange markets, U.S. financial markets are the world's deepest and most liquid, and Treasury securities remain the globe's premier risk-free investment. And, of course, the US is a market second to none, to which foreign companies supplied more than $2.2 trillion worth of goods and services last year.

Labels: Britain, China, Elections, Energy, EU, France, Immigration, Iran, Netherlands, Russia, Sarkozy, Sex, Trade, US

A New French Revolution - by Fareed Zakaria

In an essay in the current issue of The American Interest, Brookings scholar Philip Gordon writes that Sarkozy might well be able to make France a larger player in the world, "punching above its weight," the way Tony Blair did during the 1990s and early 2000s. Blair, and Thatcher before him, were able to create a new image for Britain and made the country a modern world power. But that transformation rested on the revival of the British economy, which became a symbol of success in a globalized age. France currently ranks 18th in the World Economic Forum's annual competitiveness rankings. That's not bad, but it is nowhere near commensurate with the place that the French imagine for themselves in the world.

Labels: Britain, China, Elections, Energy, EU, France, Immigration, Iran, Netherlands, Russia, Sarkozy, Sex, Trade, US

Ukraine - Shell terminates MoU Ukraine Deal, confirms Regal

Shell has terminated a Memorandum of Understanding covering interests in Ukraine signed with oil explorer Regal Petroleum last week, Regal said Monday. “The company is considering its options for the development and commercialization of its Ukrainian assets,” said Regal this morning. The agreement with Shell over a sale of a 51% stake in its Ukraine interests was announced last Wednesday.

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Archbishop of Canterbury says "US is‘worst’ imperialist - by Abul Taher

In a wide-ranging interview with a British Muslim magazine, the Anglican leader linked criticism of the United States to one of his most pessimistic declarations about the state of western civilization. He said the crisis was caused not just by America’s actions but also by its misguided sense of its own mission. He poured scorn on the “chosen nation myth of America, meaning that what happens in America is very much at the heart of God’s purpose for humanity”. He went on to suggest that the West was fundamentally adrift: “Our modern western definition of humanity is clearly not working very well. There is something about western modernity which really does eat away at the soul.”

Williams suggested American leadership had broken down: “We have only one global hegemonic power. It is not accumulating territory: it is trying to accumulate influence and control. That’s not working. He contrasted it unfavourably with how the British Empire governed India. “It is one thing to take over a territory and then pour energy and resources into administering it and normalising it. Rightly or wrongly, that’s what the British Empire did — in India, for example. “It is another thing to go in on the assumption that a quick burst of violent action will somehow clear the decks and that you can move on and other people will put it back together — Iraq, for example.

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Putin in Portugal for EU-Russia summit - by Oleg Shchedrov

Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes for a friendly summit with the European Union on Friday but is sticking to long-held tough positions on Iran and Kosovo. "On many (international) issues our positions are close," Putin said after meeting Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva, whose country will host the EU-Russia summit. "I expect a friendly atmosphere created by our hosts today will translate into a similar atmosphere of the Russia-EU summit tomorrow and will help a productive work," Putin told reporters.

Another point of discussion at the summit will be a proposal by the European Commission on the energy sector, including a break up of big utilities' grip on power supply, generation and transmission. The plan includes a clause to prevent foreign firms from buying pipelines and power grids if their home countries do not have equally open markets and an agreement with Brussels, something seen as targeting Russian state energy giant Gazprom.

Labels: Energy, EU, Portugal, Russia

Labels: Energy, EU

Turkey's wind may answer energy problems - by Anna Olejarczyk

Ergün Özakat is tired but he is not giving up. His battle is not over. It moves him that in the past 50 years energy in Turkey has not been handled properly. He sits facing the Aegean Sea on his back terrace, wind washing over his face while he nods his head towards the sea. He wants you to know the importance of the Çesme coast. The potential for Turkish wind is unbelievable, but only the foreigners believe it, said Özakat.We in Turkey are always a slow waker. As soon as we find out something, people rush for it. Turkey's character is very much like that.

Labels: Energy, Turkey

Labels: Energy, EU

Iran, Turkmenistan to supply gas to Europe

A senior Turkish energy official said that Iran and Turkmenistan will pump 30 billion cubic meters of gas a year to Europe via Turkey, leaving no need for alternative supplies to the Nabucco pipeline project, Reuters reported. The official also announced that Turkey and Iran have agreed that the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) will produce 20 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in the three phases of Iran's South Pars gas field.
Iran and Turkey have signed a preliminary agreement to pump Iranian gas to Europe via Turkey, a move that will open a new export market for Iran's massive reserves. The memorandum of understanding includes an agreement to pump gas from Turkmenistan to Turkey through Iran, and Tehran's approval for Ankara to develop the three phases of South Pars.

Labels: Energy, Iran

The European Parliament urged the breakup of energy companies, putting it in direct opposition to France and Germany over planned legislation to increase electricity and natural-gas market competition. The Parliament said that it would support a draft law due in September to split utilities like Électricité de France and E.ON into separate grid and supply businesses. The proposal, which the European Commission, the regulatory arm of the EU, is drawing up as a way to make networks accessible to companies without their own grids, will need the approval of the Parliament and national governments.

Labels: Energy, EU, France, Germany

Questions cloud Turkish-EU energy cooperation - by Yigal Schleifer

Turkey's strategy of establishing itself as a transit hub for natural resources is a key component of its efforts to join the European Union. At a recent conference in Istanbul aimed at strengthening Turkish-EU energy cooperation, officials from both Brussels and Ankara spoke in glowing terms about the potential for joint activity, while emphasizing Turkey's strategic importance in the energy sphere. "Turkey needs the European Union and the European Union needs Turkey. This is especially true in the field of energy," Andris Piebalgs, the EU's energy commissioner, told the conference's attendants. "Turkey is a link, a bridge, a corridor for our region's energy supplies."

Turkey's chief EU negotiator, Ali Babacan, told the same audience that "energy cooperation will bring us closer and create a situation where Turkey and the EU are stronger in the region."

Labels: Energy, EU, Turkey

Power and profitability: Europe's gas security dilemma

The sheer scale of the energy dilemma facing Europe became clear in Riga on Wednesday as experts from around the world discussed the issue of natural-gas security. "Diversity and security of energy supplies are vital ... When national security is at stake, no costs are too high," EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs told the Baltic Regional Energy Forum.

Ever since Russia's gas monopolist, Gazprom, cut supplies to Ukraine during a pricing dispute in January 2006, debate has raged over the best way to ensure gas security in Europe. According to Gazprom's figures, the company supplies almost a third of Europe's gas imports. In much of Eastern Europe - including Finland, the Baltic states and Poland - it is the sole supplier.

Labels: Energy, Europe, Gazprom

EU sets record energy deficit with Russia

The European Union last year recorded a trade deficit of nearly € 70 billion with Russia owning to large energy bill, the EU’s statistical arm Eurostat said. Accounting for over 6 percent of EU exports and 10 percent of EU imports, Russia became the third largest trading partner of the 27-nation bloc last year, trailing worldwide after the U.S. and China.

The increased deficit was primarily due to an increase in the deficit for energy, only partially offset by an increase in the surplus for machinery and vehicles.

Labels: Energy, EU, European Economy

Labels: Energy, Europe

National security consequences of oil dependency - Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.

The United States is the largest oil importer in the world, bringing in 13.5 million barrels per day (mbd), which accounts for 63.5 percent of total U.S. daily consumption (20.6 mbd).[1] Oil from the Middle East--specifically, the Persian Gulf--accounts for 20 percent of U.S. oil imports, and this dependence is growing. By 2017, the U.S. will be importing approx­imately 68 percent of its oil needs. Oil consumption represents 40 percent of America's energy needs, pri­marily used in ground and air transportation. The dependence of the U.S. and the global economy on oil is growing, which can have dire consequences for the economic well-being of the United States, its national security, and the American way of life.

The EU, including its Brussels appa­ratus, is split, since Germany is already deferential to Russia's energy interests. German companies such as E.ON are in partnerships with Gazprom to develop gas fields and downstream operations in Russia and Europe. It is also possible that the U.S. State Department may intervene with Bucharest to prevent a proposed Gazprom pipeline from Tur­key from crossing Romanian territory. Clearly, the two small U.S. military bases in Romania and Bul­garia and the proposed missile defense base and radar in the Czech Republic and Poland are not going to stop Russian expansion. Pipelines are much more effective tools of foreign policy than missiles.

Labels: Energy, Oil

Latin America and the world: Growing energy nexus

In 2005 Latin America sent 47% of its total exports to the US, 14% to the EU and just 4% to China. Accordingly, even if China fulfils its pledge of US$100bn investment into the region by 2010, it will still wield considerably less economic influence than the US.

Chinese policy towards Latin America is essentially pragmatic: it is willing to use socialist rhetoric if this facilitates the winning of contracts, but it does not base contracts on ideological affinity. Equally pragmatic is its approach to the potential triangulation of relations between the US, Latin America and China. China is well aware of the US's traditional hegemony in the region, and will be wary of being perceived as a regional challenger. Although China is not averse to strengthening links in Latin America, it does not consider the region valuable enough to risk provoking a clash with the US. It will therefore be reluctant to offer political support to its Latin American allies when this runs too contrary to US interests. This reduces the extent to which countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador can hope to use their new alliances with China to counterbalance US influence in the region.

Labels: China, Energy, EU, Latin America, US

The Netherlands: Eneco voices fears over unbundling of EU utilities - by Clare Watson

Dutch energy company Eneco has revealed that it believes the intended unbundling of integrated energy companies within the European Union will thwart its ambition to become a sustainable energy company.

The Dutch House of Representatives is supporting the European Commission's plans to press ahead with unbundling the transmission and generation activities of integrated energy companies. Officials hope that this will open the market up to competition and avoid monopolies.

Labels: Energy, EU, The Netherlands, Utilities

Turkey's Erdogan warns the EU: Make your decision, don't wear yourselves out

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made some sharp comments in reference to the EU's stance on Turkey's quest for full membership, saying yesterday before his ruling AKP group in Ankara, "Don't wear yourselves or us out. If you have some thoughts, make some decisions on them, and let us all continue down our roads."

Erdogan also noted "The EU is on a serious search for solutions to problems such as security, energy, expansion, and an ageing population. In fact, Turkey is in a key role in terms of being able to help the EU with these problems. We know that there have been many difficulties down this road, and that there will continue to be these difficulties. But just as we have managed to obtain our rights up until today, we will continue in the same way from now on. We are not expecting favors from anyone. We simply want whatever we have a right to. If the EU thinks negatively about Turkey, it needs to make its decision, and we will continue on our way."

Labels: Energy, EU, Integration, Political, security, Turkey

Labels: Energy, Europe

Labels: Energy

Putin to visit Greece for signing of oil pipeline deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Greece next week for the signing of a long-delayed oil pipeline deal, the Kremlin said. During the March 14-15 visit, Putin will meet with the Greek and Bulgarian presidents, the Kremlin said late Tuesday. It said an agreement between the three governments for "cooperation on the construction and use" of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline would be signed during the summit.

Putin has visited Greece twice in the past two years amid talks on the 285-kilometer (178-mile) pipeline, $1.2 billion venture to carry Russian oil across Bulgaria and Greece to the Mediterranean Sea.

Labels: Energy

Poland, Ukraine Call for ‘South-East Energy Corridor’ Summit

Presidents of Poland and Ukraine, Lech Kaczynski and Viktor Yushchenko, respectively, called for an energy summit in May with the participation of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia. After meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart in the Polish city of Plock, Lech Kaczynski said that the two presidents discussed, as he put it, “a great venture” of a south-eastern corridor to transport Kazakh and Azeri oil to Europe via Georgia and Ukraine, according to the Polish President’s press office.

Ukrainian President Yushchenko said that the holding of a summit would be an opportunity for the implementation of this project, according to the Ukrainian President’s press office.

Labels: Energy

Labels: Energy, Political

BULGARIA’S KOZLODUY NPP AMONG MOST DANGEROUS POWER PLANTS IN EUROPE

Bulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP) has been among the most dangerous ones in Europe for ages. Failures often occurred in its reactors and Bulgaria and foreign ecologist used to call for the plant’s closure, German newspaper Handelsblatt said. Bulgaria agreed to switch off four of the units of the six-reactor NPP under EU pressure. The last two units will probably continue functioning until 2010. Kozloduy plays an important role in meeting the power needs of Bulgaria and the region, Handelsblatt said.

Albania suffered the most from the unit closure as the country lost 40 per cent of its electricity supply and is experiencing its most severe energy crisis after the end of the communist rule.

Labels: Energy

Labels: Energy