Moldova and Romania to put in common their national pipelines
The Iasi-Ungheni pipeline has been presented by Moldavian and Romanian PM Vlad Filat and Victor Ponta. The importance of the project for Chisinau foreign policy and the Romanian internal electoral struggle.
The unification of Romanian and Moldavian national pipelines is a decision which could change the geopolitical situation in Europe. On Monday the 10/29, Moldavian and Romanian PM Vlad Filat and Victor Ponta signed an agreement for the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline's construction.
The 43,2 kilometers length pipeline will carry 1,5 bcm of gas from Moldova to Romania and viceversa, in order to guarantee both countries stable gas supplies.
According to Natural Gas Europe info portal, the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline is strategically important in particular for Moldova. Chisianu is an European Energetic Community member which is trying to decrease its dependence from Russian gas supplies by a deep integration in the EU.
Russia several time contrasted the Moldovan European policy, trying to keep Moldova in Moscow sphere of influence.
On the middle of October, in change of the possibility of a gas contract's discount - which Chisinau must already sign with Russian gas major Gazprom - Russia proposed Moldova to resign from the European Energetic Community membership.
Moreover, Russia asked Chisinau to denounce the EU Third Energetic Package: an EU law which liberalizes the European Energetic Market and forbids to non-European majors the direct control of pipelines in all EU countries.
Moldovian answer to Russia has been quite moderate. Chisianu obtained from the EU a 3 year stand by on the Third Energetic Package's application in order to negotiate with Gazprom a new contract without political pressures from Moscow.
The Iasi-Ungheni pipeline's construction is also an important deal for Romanian internal political situation.
The Romanian President Traian Basescu, a moderate who belongs to the European People's Party, supported natural and unconventional gas extraction's projects in Romania, and endorsed the EU gas supplies diversification's policy in order to carry Azeri gas directly in Europe by new pipelines.
On the other hand, the Romanian PM Victor Ponta, a socialist who leads a majority coalition with the liberals, criticized President Basescu's energetic policy, supported a moratory on natural and unconventional gas extraction in Romania, and endorsed the necessity to increase Russian gas supplies from Gazprom.
After PM Ponta has been criticized several times by the European Commission, the decision to support the building of Iasi-Ungheni pipeline - which is a project supported by the European Union - can be read as a tentative by the socialist Head of Government to approach his position to the EU one few moths before next parliamentary elections.
Matteo Cazzulani
