There is no immediate danger to gas supplies to the European Union (EU) after a pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine resulted in minor disruptions, the European Commission said on Monday.
"At this point in time, consumers remain unaffected, and there is no immediate danger to gas supplies to European consumers," Commission spokesman Ferran Tarradellas Espuny told a daily news conference in Brussels.
"We do not see any real danger to normal gas supplies to the industry either at this point in time," he added.
Russian gas giant Gazprom halted supply of natural gas to Ukraine on Thursday after the two sides failed to reach a deal on a contract dispute.
Several EU member states had reported disruptions to their gas supplies as a result of the row, while Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for it.
The EU receives a fourth of its gas from Russia, with around 80 percent of those transported through pipelines which cross Ukraine.
"There have been minor supply problems reported in Hungary, and Slovakia. In Romania, a substantial loss of pressure was reported," Tarradellas Espuny said, adding the EU's reserve stocks remained "quite high".
"But the situation is changing every minute, this could change any hour," he warned.
A crisis meeting of envoys from the 27 EU member states is being held on Monday afternoon to discuss the gas dispute between Russian and Ukraine.
Another Commission spokesman said the EU is in close contact with both sides in a bid to clarify the situation.
"Since we are the main market for Russian gas... we have an obvious interest in applying pressure on these parties to reach as soon as possible an agreement which is definitive," Johannes Laitenberger said.
The EU sent a fact-finding mission to Kiev for talks with Ukraine gas officials on Monday and a meeting with Gazprom leaders was also planned in an unspecified European capital on Tuesday.
An EU delegation will be sent to Russia later this week to press for a rapid solution.
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2009)
