Gazprom's Nord Stream gas pipeline becomes a reality

APRIL'S PLANE crash – killing the Polish president, his wife and 86 other dignitaries in Russia – has overshadowed Russian-Polish relations. Yet a few days earlier the two countries had made a breakthrough in their energy relations, which have rarely been good

On 9 April, following talks with Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin, said the two governments had finally agreed on long-term natural gas supplies to Poland and would soon sign the relevant documents. The two countries' gas monopolies, Gazprom and PGNiG, have agreed to increase gas supplies from 8bn cubic metres a year (cm/y) to 11bn cm/y and to extend the agreement until 2037. From this year, Poland was facing a deficit of 2.5bn cm/y of gas and was eager to secure extra supplies from Russia, on which it relies for about 70% of its consumption. However, a new deal with Gazprom had been delayed several times because of various disagreements. In return