UKRAINE, NATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY INDICATORS AND POLICY CHALLENGES. Country factsheet (Centăr za izsledvane na demokracijata, 2015)
National bulletins present a critical analysis of energy security management in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine, and highlight the major challenges faced by countries in their transition to more transparent and data-driven policy-making processes. The management of state energy enterprises in CEE is strongly influenced by political interference, violating their investment independence and regulatory oversight. This is particularly noticeable in Bulgaria and Ukraine. The political pressure to reduce electricity and gas prices in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia further increases the vulnerability of their energy sectors.Strong dependence on a single source and route for gas supply is the most serious risk to energy security in all countries. In Bulgaria and Ukraine, this risk is exacerbated by their dependence on imported oil from the same source - Russia. While Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine have made efforts for energy diversification, Serbia seems to support the current status quo, although it pays some of Europe's highest natural gas prices