The crisis in relations with Russia should compel the European Union to transform its energy policy and reduce the region’s dependence on natural gas imports, a trio of industry leaders said. “If it really wants to wean itself off Russia gas, it needs to embark on a medium-term program made up of improving gas interconnections, shale-gas friendly regulation, alternative imports, more nuclear and possibly more coal,” Paolo Scaroni , chief executive officer of Italy’s largest oil company, Eni SpA (ENI) , said in e-mail comments today. The EU imported 30 percent of its gas supply from Russia last year, a proportion that’s even higher in some eastern and southern European countries. That reliance has come under scrutiny during the crisis over Ukraine this year, sparking a debate about how to diversify sources of supply. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine’s non-payment for gas shipments may threaten supply to […]