Germany and Russia: another bilateral initiative.

A few days ago, the Kremlin reported on the meeting between President Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Munich.
The importance of bilateral economic cooperation between the two nations was highlighted, and several new projects were announced. All this is well and good, but one of the main topics on the agenda was that of energy. Time and time again, Merkel and others are cutting deals that completely undermine any chance of the EU developing a common energy policy. In fact, on July 16th, the new Russian-German energy agency "Rudea" was launched. The agency will work to develop more efficient energy generation, thus ensuring that Russia is firmly embedded in this vital aspect of European R&D.
If the EU is serious about developing a common policy, and about establishing security of supply, this ongoing problem of bilateral deals needs to be addressed. With Bulgaria's new nuclear reactor, currently under construction at Beline, set to come under the partial control of the Kremlin, even the Union's efforts at achieving some diversification of supply like somewhat weak. In this case, it is the German state owned partner in the project that is selling its stake to a Russian state controlled company.