The recent natural gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine has proved the need for the development of a strong European Union energy strategy and the diversification of Europe's energy supply, said European Union Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner Wednesday.
"We need to develop a crisis-response strategy and north-south gas links within the E.U. to increase security of supply to the Eastern European member states," Ferrero-Waldner said, speaking to the European Gas Conference in Vienna via a video link.
Ferrero-Waldner also stressed the need to push for an expansion of European liquified natural gas capacities and to make a great effort to secure the construction of the Nabucco pipeline and a trans-Caspian pipeline, both of which would circumvent Russia and Ukraine and help diversify Europe's gas supply.
"Russia and Ukraine will, however, remain key gas suppliers to the E.U.," Ferrero-Waldner said, underlining the need to now repair the relations between the E.U., Ukraine and Russia, which suffered a setback during the gas dispute.