OREANDA-NEWS Gas supplies from Russia to Europe have now halved compared to the figures of the previous summer, and further declines are not ruled out, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said on Monday, June 27.

"Gas supplies from Russia now make up half of the volumes that we received last year around the same time. They may continue to decline", Simson said before the EU meeting at the level of ministers of energy, transport and telecommunications. The EU is ready for any developments with regard to gas supplies, she stressed.

Simson added that at the meeting on Monday, she will present to the ministers concrete steps that, in her opinion, will help the countries of the union to be better prepared for the reduction in gas supplies. One of these steps is coordinating a reduction in demand for gas.

On Saturday, Simson said that 12 EU states were completely or partially left without Russian gas. She added that last week the EU reached an agreement to increase gas imports from Israel and Egypt. Also, cooperation with Norway has been deepened, and negotiations with Azerbaijan are at the final stage.

Simson stressed that joint gas purchases require unanimity and coordination between member states, and that the work of the European Commission creates the necessary conditions for this.

"The good news is that in May, a record was once again set for the flow of LNG to Europe - 12.8 billion cubic meters - this is the largest monthly volume in history", she said.