Natural gas supplies from Russia to Moldova have remained suspended for the seventh straight day on 9 January in the latest gas price row between Moscow and three European nations. Russia's state-owned gas monopoly Gazprom has indicated its intention to impose sharp price hikes on Bulgaria, Moldova and Turkey. Bulgaria immediately denounced the move and said that it will not accept higher prices. Turkey has not yet commented publicly.
In a statement, the Austrian Presidency called upon Russia and Moldova to resume their talks without delay in order to reach a compromise solution based on negotiations.
The latest rows come hard on the heels of Russia's gas supply dispute with Ukraine, which was eventually resolved on 4 January with a compromise. The European Parliament is expected to hold an extraordinary meeting on 11 January to discuss the political consequences of the ongoing gas crisis. Russia supplies over a third of Europe's gas and oil.
Meanwhile, the Commission is scheduled to prepare a green paper about energy policy co-ordination, to be ready before Austria’s first summit as EU president in March.
