. International legal cooperation between Ukraine and EU member states in the feald of ensuring gas supply security

Abstract

The article examines current problems of cooperation between the EU member states and Ukraine in the field of natural gas supplies with an emphasis on the legislative aspect. Attention was drawn to the fact that the study of the problems of EU cooperation with third countries, in particular within the framework of the Energy Community, meets the most important needs of today and is of significant importance for the further development of the EU energy sector.
 If we take into account the energy sphere, the growing shortage of energy carriers and the rise in their prices emphasize the continuing importance of safe and affordable energy, and the hostilities in Ukraine are expected to significantly affect the state of security of energy supplies to the EU.
 The author analyzed the main obligations of Ukraine to ensure and maintain an adequate level of gas supply, as well as the scope of recently proposed and adopted changes to the EU regulatory framework. By adopting the Treaty on the Energy Community, Ukraine undertook to adopt the main energy legislation of the EU, the so-called «acquis communautaire». The European Commission immediately informs Ukraine of amendments to any EU acts transforming the EU acquis, and Ukraine, in turn, reflects changes in the EU legal framework in its national legislation regulating the energy sector.
 Some attention is also paid to the study of possible obstacles to reducing the EU's dependence on the supply of energy resources from Russia as a result of military aggression towards Ukraine, and the importance of overcoming such dependence is substantiated.
 The author comes to the conclusion that all these legislative changes will undoubtedly be important for the energy sector of Ukraine, as our state is not only a transit state for the EU in the field of energy supply, but also a candidate for joining the EU.
 It was concluded that member states should cooperate in order to promote regional and bilateral solidarity, since EU member states alone will not be able to effectively deal with the risk of serious economic difficulties as a result of significant disruptions in the supply of natural gas. It was determined that minimizing the negative consequences of crisis situations due to improper gas supply is impossible without effective coordination and unification of actions of all EU member states.