On the eve of the Second Kyiv Security Forum, Open Ukraine Foundation conducted an expert survey on "Forecast of the major threats to energy security of European countries". Independent Ukrainian experts in the energy sector defined major threats to the energy security of Europe and Ukraine as an integral part of the European community, and forecast medium-term prospects for solving these problems. A total number of 26 Ukrainian experts took part in the survey, defining five of the most pressing threats. The Foundation will compare the results of the survey with the opinion of foreign experts during the Second Kyiv Security Forum.

The experts believe that European energy security is primarily threatened by the lack of transparency and corruption in energy resource commerce. They also added the following to the urgent threats: domination of a limited number of suppliers on the market of fuel-energy resources; political instability in transit countries; the absence of an EU common energy policy despite the fact that it has been declared; and limitations of investment resources for development of mining, transportation networks and capacities for processing of energy resources (in other words, financial crisis).

Among non-urgent threats are the issues of bilateral relations between supplying monopolists and consumers along with transit countries, the absence of Euro-Atlantic consolidation (USA-EU relations) concerning new infrastructural projects and manipulation of mass consciousness by mining companies.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze, deputy director of Open Ukraine Foundation: "Summing up the experts' responses, we may state that the energy security problems have to be solved in the format of joint all-European cooperation - the role of the EU, NATO, OSCE, ОЕСР/МЕА has to increase".

Forum Agenda