OREANDA-NEWS. September 21, 2012. According t the press service of the Moldovan government, these matters were discussed at a meeting of Moldovan Premier Vladimir Filat and European Commissioner for Energy Gunther Oetinger. The participants reviewed current results of the energy cooperation of Moldova and EU and its prospects. Other details of the meeting have not been disclosed.

Earlie Premier of Moldova Vladimir Filat said he was planning to hold talks in Brussels with representatives of EU on the problem of Moldova’s implementing the 2nd and the 3rd energy packages of EU and guaranteeing protection to investments med in Moldova by Gazprom, Russia. This was briefed by the Premier to journalists in Chisinau as he commented on the talks which were held last week in Moscow with Russian leaders on the signing of the Intergovernmental agreement on cooperation and the new long-term gas supply and transit contract for Moldova.

During the talks in Moscow the Russian party for the first time put forward a set of offers to settle the entire range of problems concerning the supply of gas to Moldova, its transit, the formula of calculation of a price, the problem of the debt for gas, which had amounted USD 4.1 bln., and protection of Russian investments, made by Gazprom via Moldovagaz, the Premier explained. The Premier stressed that the parties had found a compromise nearly on all issues except guarantees for Russian investments, which remained open. Vladimir Filat reminded that, according to the 2nd and the 3rd EU Energy Package, Moldova had signed after joining the EU Energy Community, one and the same company can not be a supplier, a transporter and a seller of natural gas.

Since the Russian gas holding is operating on the territory of Moldova via Moldovagaz in all three functions, it has to abandon one of them. The Premier said Moldova had offered its model of implementation of the Energy Packages which is thought not to infringe upon the Russian interests. The offers were included in the draft Intergovernmental Energy Cooperation Agreement Moldova offered to Russia. However, Russia thought the Moldovan guarantees insufficient and believed that only Moldova’s leaving the Energy Community could provide guarantees to Russian investments in Moldova.

According to Vladimir Filat, the problem of guaranteeing Gazprom’s investments was discussed last week by phone with EC President Jose Manuel Barroso and other EU officials. The more substantial dialogue is expected to occur in the framework of the working visit of the Premier of Moldova to Brussels.