Moscow hosted the Russian-Polish consultations involving Anatoly Yanovsky, Deputy Energy Minister of the Russian Federation and Joanna Strzelec-Lobodzinska, Deputy Economy Minister of Poland. Taking part in the consultations were also Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Michal Szubski, President of the Management Board of PGNiG.

The parties coordinated the Protocol of Amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement on Russian gas supply and transit of August 25, 1993, as well as the Protocol of Amendment to the Additional Protocol of February 12, 2003 of the 1993 Agreement. The documents provide for:

- increase in natural gas supplies to Poland, extension of contracts for gas supply and transmission to Europe via Poland until 2037;

- settlement of the issues relevant to EuRoPol GAZ management and its tariff policy during natural gas transportation.

“The said documents outline the framework provisions for entering into contracts on the corporate level,” stated Alexander Medvedev, “We expect them to be endorsed by the governments of both countries any time now.”

Background:

Poland annually consumes around 13.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas, of which nearly 30 per cent are produced domestically.

In 2008 Gazprom Export delivered 7.9 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Poland.

Natural gas is exported to and transited via Poland under long-term contracts with PGNiG and EuRoPol GAZ based on the Intergovernmental Agreement of 1993 and the relevant addenda.

PGNiG is the largest oil and gas company of Poland specializing in gas and oil field development, energy carriers production, storage and transportation, as well as oil and gas transmission network construction and development, gas import and export.

The EuRoPol GAZ Transit Gas Pipeline System was incorporated in September 1993 and is the owner of the 684 kilometer-long section of the Yamal – Europe gas pipeline in Poland and five compressor stations (CS). The five CS ensure the gas pipeline’s annual throughput capacity of some 30 billion cubic meters. Gazprom and PGNiG are the majority shareholders in EuRoPol GAZ.

In October 2009 Gazprom and PGNiG signed the Joint Statement of the Accords with regard to the Russian-Polish cooperation issues in the gas sector to come into effect after Russia and Poland sign the relevant documents on the intergovernmental level.