Russia not viewed as key partner in future EU gas procurements - European Commission

BRUSSELS. April 22 (Interfax) - The EU working group for the joint procurement of gas is trying to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas and does not view Russia as a primary partner, European commission spokesman Tim McPhie said.

"We are not prioritizing negotiations with Russia. Quite the contrary. What we are trying to do as fast as possible is to wean ourselves off Russian fossil fuels," McPhie said at a press briefing in Brussels on Friday.

In his words, the European Union will increase gas procurements from the United States this year, and the European Commission is negotiating gas supply with other trade partners, McPhie said. "We continue to be very focused on this issue," he said.

A plan of the European Commission, which aims to lower the dependence on Russian hydrocarbons and will be published at the end of May, is already being implemented to an extent, McPhie said. The EU working group on gas and hydrogen procurement held its first meeting on April 7 to study supply and demand, and to coordinate efforts with international partners in the area of alternative energy.

"We are committed to ending our dependence on Russian fossil fuels and we are working on any moves that individual member states are doing to support that goal. Some will be able to move faster than the others just due to the nature of their specific energy mix at the national level," McPhie said.

He noted that participation in the working group was voluntary but representatives of all EU members attended its first meeting.