RusEnergy

 OPINION MOSCOW. Nov 17 (Interfax) - Russia's energy policy lacks flexibility and this may affect importers of Russian energy, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said in a radio program on Friday. There have been no flexible instruments in Russia's energy policy in recent years, Bildt told Ekho Moskvy radio. The European Union is seeking to build a transparent oil and natural gas market. However, Russia's market is controlled by monopolies while the EU would like as many actors as possible to be granted access to the sector, he said. Russia is showing a trend for stagnation, which is a sign of an authoritarian social system. The EU needs to understand which way Russia is moving, he said.