European Commission could get an access to the gas delivery contracts and the international energy agreement before their signing. The proposal was approved by the European Union (EU) Council on June 6, reads press release of the Council.
If European Parliament approves this decision in autumn, the EU member-states will have to inform the European Commission about their plans to start talks in the energy field and also regularly inform about their process. European Commission to evaluate the future agreements on gas supplies.
The decision is one of the structural elements of the energy strategy and it is aimed at “strengthening transparency and stability” in the relationships with the third countries and strengthening their positions in the energy talks, reported press office of the council.
Energy Union must ensure transparency while drafting gas contracts, especially when it comes to prices, discounts and volumes, said Dmitrii Magonya, Managing Partner of Juridical Company Art de Lex. “EU would like to coordinate this work at the above national level to exclude shadow agreements,” said the expert. Europeans believe this happened in case of Hungary and Greece, Magonya added.