ZAGREB, CROATIA – Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and Economy Minister Damir Polancec agreed that the government was making increased efforts to secure gas import from North Africa, and will send a negotiating team to Algeria with the same goal, HRT reports.

Minister Polancec explained at a press conference that the gas would be supplied through Italy, which is connected with Algeria via a pipeline. Italy would hand over the amount of gas purchased from Algiers from gas sites in Northern Adriatic.

Still, as he added, this intervention will not affect the current crisis, but is a plan for the future.

Only some consumers have gas in Croatia, while5 th and 6 th degrees of saving are in effect at the moment, because of which the largest consumers are suffering. Gas supply has been cut off in 500 Zagreb-based companies and crafts alone.

Russian Gazprom restarted gas deliveries, but the problem occurred in Ukraine, which announced the gas was distributed in small amounts and through another pipeline, thus, there was no time for Ukraine to adjust.