A fresh row between Russia and Ukraine over energy shipment fees – fast becoming something of a New Year’s tradition – has caused alarm in the European Union, as Moscow warned of possible oil supply cuts to central Europe.

On Monday (28 December), Slovakia – 97 percent dependent on Russian oil – held an emergency meeting of its security council, with Prime Minister Robert Fico saying the EU is at risk of disruptions in oil deliveries via the Druzhba oil pipeline from 1 January 2010.

“We first received information [about the Russian-Ukrainian dispute] during the Christmas holidays,” Mr Fico told journalists. He added that the Ukrainian request for higher transit fees was the core of the matter.

The European Commission later confirmed that Russian authorities had triggered an early warning mechanism – a system designed to ring alarm bells before taps are turned off – and gave notice of a possible disruption of crude oil supplies “in the coming days.”

“Several member states could be directly affected, notably Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic,” reads the commission internal note, seen by EUobserver.

The EU’s executive body has re-assured, however, that there is “no current threat to supplies to households or to businesses” as emergency oil stocks in the 27-nation bloc stand at comfortable level of 122 days of consumption.

Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic also report having sufficient reserves – 118, 94 and 101 days, respectively – figures well above the mandatory 90 days.

Read more here.

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