site.btaDeputy PM Valeri Simeonov: European Energy Union Should Be Based on Level Playing Field for Member States

Budapest/Sofia, December 4 (BTA) - Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Demographic Policy Valeri Simeonov stressed the need to achieve a stable European Energy Union reflecting the Member States' specifics and based on a level playing field for them.

Simeonov attended a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group in Budapest with the participation of Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, the government information service said. He was invited by Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto.

Simeonov said the EU countries need better connectedness and integration. He commented: "During Bulgaria's EU Council Presidency the efforts to complete interconnectors and build energy infrastructure among the countries of the Western Balkans will continue, which will guarantee the security of energy supplies in the region."

He emphasized the importance of the interconnectors with Greece, Serbia and Turkey; of steady two-way natural gas supplies between Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary; of the construction of a gas hub as part of the Southern Gas Corridor; and the need of a gradual transition from a regulated towards a liberalized market along with effective support measures for vulnerable consumers.