Press Release: The EU gas observation mission, already deployed on the ground and the terms of reference of the mission signed. Once again, there is no reason to further delay gas supplies

The EU monitoring mission reached most of their destination points and was already starting their monitoring work. The Commission team had been let in the Sudzha measuring station in Russian territory. Another group had arrived in Lugansk to monitor the gas measuring units of Pisarevka first and later on the metering station of Sokhranovka.

In the western border of Ukraine, the Commission delegation will arrive tonight to the Orlovka compressor facility. A second team to Uzhgorod, which will cover the metering stations of Beregovo and Tekovo, is departing now from Kiev. A third group to Drozdowichi was on their way. These groups will measure the volumes of gas in the exit points of Ukraine, once gas flows are restored.

The team in Kiev have had access to the main dispatching centre of Naftogas of Ukraine and have produced their first report.

Another team is going to be deployed in Gazprom’s main dispatching centre in Moscow.

The parties that signed yesterday the terms of reference of this monitoring mission have all received signed copies of the agreement.

The Commission took note of the Ukrainian Declaration received this afternoon, which is a mixture of factual restatement of what is in the Terms of Reference signed last night, and in some cases, Ukraine's interpretation of what has been agreed. The Commission took the view that nothing in the Ukrainian Declaration added to, or subtracted from, the Terms of Reference signed by the five parties.

The Commission considered that all conditions expressed by the two parties had been met and there was no reason to delay the restoration of gas supplies any further.