After Russia called off the South Stream project, EU officials have urged the the bloc to end its dependence on gas from Moscow.<br /><br />Russia meets around 30 percent of the EU’s gas annual needs.<br /><br />EU Budget Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said:<br />“This confirms the importance of not being dependent on a single source of gas. Diversification of energy sources is very important.”<br /><br />The International Energy Agency has said that Europe should do more to liberalise its energy markets <br /><br />Speaking at the European Parliament, former Russian energy tycoon and political prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky casted doubt on whether Vladimir Putin’s move to scrap South Stream would be effective.<br /><br />“I don’t believe that this decision is final, because the alternative solutions economically don’t make sense.”<br /><br />The Russian president made the announcement on Monday in the Turkish capital of Ankara.<br /><br />One of the main reasons for pressing ahead with the project was to bypass Ukraine.<br /><br />It would have cost some 20 billion dollars, or 16 billion euros.<br /><br />Aside from the current political climate, there were also doubt whether Russia’s Gazprom would be able to comply with EU competition rules in relation to the pipeline.
