site.btaPrime Minister Borissov Meets with European Commissioners to Discuss Energy, Transport, Migration

Prime Minister Borissov Meets with European Commissioners to Discuss Energy, Transport, Migration


Brussels, January 12 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko
Borissov was in Brussels on Monday for a series of talks with
European commissioners focusing on energy matters. Other
subjects included the absorption of EU aid, transport projects,
and immigration management, the Bulgarian Government Information
Service reported.

KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA

Borissov and European Commission Vice President Kristalina
Georgieva, who is responsible for Budget and Human Resources in
the Commission, discussed the use of EU aid in Bulgaria under
the new Operational Programmes.

The two also looked at the challenges to European and global
security in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris. They
strongly condemned all forms of terrorism. Borissov and
Georgieva expressed sympathy with the families of the victims of
the Paris attacks and solidarity with the French people.

CORINA CRETU

Meeting with Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Cretu, Borissov
said the European Commission's outspoken support for Bulgaria
is highly appreciated. The Prime Minister thanked the Commission
for recognizing Bulgaria's vulnerability after the scrapping of
the projects for the South Stream gas pipeline, the Belene
nuclear power plant and the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil
pipeline, on the one hand, and due to the increased migration
pressure along the Bulgarian-Turkish border, on the other hand.
"The way you treat us helps us maintain stability in my
country," Borissov said.

Commissioner Cretu said the Commission and Bulgaria need to work
together, and the Commission is willing to provide full support
for the country. Cretu said political stability is particularly
important and it is the duty of the Commission to do everything
within its powers to protect the most vulnerable part of the EU
border which is also the Bulgarian border.

Borissov and Cretu agreed to work out a joint action plan for
2015 concerning the completion of Bulgaria's EU-backed
Operational Programmes of the 2007-2013 period. Tomislav
Donchev, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and
Economic Policy, who was also at the meeting, assured Cretu that
Bulgaria is ready to open some schemes in the 2014-2020
Operational Programmes even before they are approved and to
finance them with money from the national budget.

Borissov and Cretu further considered the state of the South
Stream gas pipeline project and an idea to build a gas hub near
the Bulgarian seaport of Varna. The Prime Minister updated the
Regional Policy Commissioner on the steps taken by the Bulgarian
government to encourage further prospecting for oil and gas in
the Black Sea. He said that besides being a transit country for
natural gas, Bulgaria has much potential and ambition to become
a producer and exporter of gas and other energy resources.

The two looked at the construction of Bulgaria's gas
interconnectors with Serbia, Greece and Romania. The meeting was
also attended by Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova.

The Prime Minister invited Commissioner Cretu to visit Bulgaria
in May so that the two can unveil the Maritsa Motorway and tour
the sites of the Strouma and Hemus motorways and of the Mount
Shipka tunnel, among other major infrastructure projects.

MAROS SEFCOVIC

Borissov also conferred with European Commission Vice President
for the Energy Union Maros Sefcovic. Borissov told a subsequent
news conference that Bulgaria expects to find out on Wednesday
whether its gas hub project has a future and to learn of
Russia's official position on the South Stream gas pipeline
project. Noting that Sefcovic will travel to Moscow on
Wednesday, the Prime Minister said Bulgaria expects to learn if
Russia is really set on working with Turkey instead of working
with Bulgaria in the field of energy.

Depending on Russia's stance, a February meeting in Sofia, which
will discuss energy affairs in the southeastern corner of the
EU, can look at the details of the Bulgarian gas hub project.
The project requires, first, the approval of the EU, and second,
the approval of Russia, Borissov said.

Sefcovic said the EU will support the Bulgarian gas hub
initiative if it is implemented in line with EU law and
according to the requirements for transparency and freedom of
energy flows.

Taking a journalist's question, Borissov said a liquefied gas
terminal cannot be built on the Black Sea shore, because the
type of ships which transport liquefied gas cannot enter the
Black Sea via the Bosphorus Strait.

Sefcovic stated that Bulgaria is a central concern in the EU's
effort to build a sustainable European energy union. Regarding
Bulgaria, the EU needs to be firm in order to overcome external
pressures, implement an independent energy policy and provide
safe, affordable, and eco-friendly energy to citizens and
businesses, the Commissioner said.

The European Commission is prepared to extend urgent support to
Bulgaria to have it connected with neighbouring energy
transmission networks and thus help the country to overcome its
dependence on Russian gas, Sefcovic went on to say. Bulgaria
should have access to gas from Norway or Azerbaijan, he added.
According to Sefcovic, Brussels is keeping in touch with the
authorities in Turkey and Azerbaijan and has received assurances
from them that Azeri gas can reach the EU border by 2019 or
2020. This is just one of many possibilities, the Commissioner
noted.

Borissov spoke quite frankly about the difficult situation in
which his country has found itself in the energy field. This
complicated situation requires very close cooperation between
Bulgaria and the European Commission. Sefcovic added that a
joint working group will be set up to consider a plan for energy
production and use in Bulgaria. The group will discuss
Bulgaria's involvement in various projects, including the
improvement of the country's energy connectivity with the rest
of the EU, which can be achieved by developing interconnectors
with neighbouring countries or building a gas hub, Sefcovic
said.

The European Commission has raised questions and requested
documents showing what Bulgaria has done about South Stream,
Borissov said. He said that during the talks in Brussels the
Bulgarian officials brought up a whole range of issues, from the
extension of the service life of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power
Plant to the South Stream gas pipeline project, including the
question of adhering to EU energy laws and the accusations that
Bulgaria is responsible for the cancellation of South Stream.

The Prime Minister vowed that if the Bulgarian gas hub project
is implemented, it will be fully coordinated with the EU, so
that Bulgaria can avail itself of European Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker's investment plan and diversify its gas
sources in a new way.

Regarding Kozloduy, Borissov said the upgrading of the nuclear
reactors can take a lot of money and time. He expressed his hope
that the reactors will be rehabilitated without problems,
because their possible closure would be a disaster for the
Bulgarian economy and would cause the price of electricity to
soar. VI/LI/VE

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