European Union leaders say they want to create a single energy market, in part to reduce the bloc's reliance on oil and gas from Russia.
There has been growing concern among some European countries that Russia is using its position as one of Europe's biggest energy suppliers to exert political pressure on individual nations, particularly amid mounting tensions with Moscow over its actions in eastern Ukraine.
The energy union envisaged by the heads of state and government from the EU's 28 members would also seek to increase transparency in the gas market, improve energy efficiency and help reduce carbon emissions.
The pledge came at the end of the first day of the EU spring summit on Thursday."Gas contracts should not be used as political weapons”, saidthe president of the Council Donald Tusk.
Tusk also announced that "theduration of the EU sanctions against Russia will be clearly linked to the complete implementation of the Minsk agreement.
Tusk andthe Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker also announced the future start of an "action plan for combatting Russiandisinformation".
A dozen public relations and communications experts would start work by the end of March in Brussels with a brief to counter what the EU says is deliberate misinformation coordinated by the Kremlin over Moscow's role and aims inUkraineand elsewhere in Europe.
It is the first stage of a plan that leaders want EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to finalise by June, which may include efforts to produce and share Russian-language broadcast programming, notably for ethnic Russians in ex-Soviet states.
Those communities currently tune in heavily to Russian state broadcasters, which have bigger production budgets than local stations for their entertainment output, as well as news.
EU leaders, most especially in the Baltic states, have been alarmed at how Moscow has used its media to gain support for its views and policies - with budgets that are still likely to dwarf the few million euros a year that officials said the EU may provide.
The Brussels unit's immediate task is the "correction and fact-checking of misinformation" and to "develop an EU narrative through key messages, articles, op-eds, factsheets, infographics, including material in Russian language", according to a description circulating among EU officials seen by Reuters.
Staff will be drawn from civil servants already employed by EU institutions or seconded from some of the 28 member states.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/eu-wants-combat-moscow-disinformation%E2%80%9D-reduce-dependency-russian-gas