Summary of Panel I: The Future of the Energy Charter and the Debate over the Third Package
The energy trade between Russia and the countries of the European Union (EU) is of fundamental significance for the energy security of each party. Despite the close proximity of the EU-Russia energy relationship, however, the legal and political basis underpinning this relationship, particularly with regards to the gas trade, has proven itself inadequate in guaranteeing the energy security of both parties. Russia's recent announcement of its intention "of not becoming a member" of the Energy Charter Treaty, and new proposal for global energy security has created further uncertainty. While it is hoped that a new government in Kiev will lead to an improvement of Russian relations with Ukraine, Ukraine's national gas transportation operator remains in a difficult financial position and another gas crisis embroiling Ukraine, Russia and the EU, whilst hardly imminent, cannot be entirely ruled out.

• May 21, 2010

Summary of Panel II: Russia’s Arctic Uncertainty
The discussion in the second panel of the online session, which focused on the future of upstream energy exploration projects in the Russian Arctic, brought out the following messages for European policy makers and was supported by the ensuing extended commentary. READ MORE

• May 21, 2010

German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for stricter financial regulation, having warned the euro was "in danger".

• May 20, 2010

Pakistan blocks YouTube, a day after barring access to Facebook in a row over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

• May 20, 2010

Kyrgyzstan's interim leader, Roza Otunbayeva, will likely remain president of the Central Asian nation until December 2011 after the government cancelled plans for presidential elections to be held in October.

• May 20, 2010

Russia is exploiting U.S. and European inattention to reassert its influence in the former Soviet republics, spending more than $50 billion to turn the “near abroad” into an engine of economic and political power.

• May 20, 2010

Already wielding its economic might to become a major source of capital for Canada’s oil sands, China has struck a deal to help the province of Saskatchewan develop its burgeoning natural gas and crude assets.

• May 20, 2010

The Kremlin rarely approaches EU-Russia summits with much enthusiasm, but there are signs that this may change in anticipation of the next summit in Rostov-on-Don on May 31.

• May 20, 2010