site.btaEuropean Experts to Discuss Key Energy Infrastructure Projects in September in Seaside City of Varna

European Experts to Discuss Key Energy Infrastructure Projects in September in Seaside City of Varna

Sofia, August 4 (BTA) - The press office of the Council of Ministers released Thursday a copy of a letter by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker received in response to a letter Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov sent Juncker on July 7, 2016, concerning the Bulgarian energy sector.

In the letter Juncker says that from the beginning of its mandate, the European Commission has given the highest importance to promoting modernization of and investment in the energy sector of the countries of South Eastern Europe and Bulgaria in particular. The letter mentions the several meetings held between European Commissioners and other high-level EC officials, and relevant Bulgarian ministers, in Sofia and in Brussels since early 2015. Special mention is made of the Central and South Eastern Europe Gas Connectivity (CESEC) initiative and of the progress being made in the region as regards the better integration of the energy systems into the European markets and increasing security of supply through diversification of energy imports.

The letter says further that the High-level Group meeting taking place in Budapest on September 8 and 9 will mark concrete progress on a number of key infrastructure projects, including on the interconnectors of Bulgaria with Romania, Serbia and Greece. Based on the cooperation between Bulgaria and the EC, Bulgaria has been able to secure an alternative source of gas - Liquefied Natural Gas from Greece - thanks to the interconnection agreement between the system operators that was facilitated by the EC.

"Taken together all these developments mark important steps towards the Balkan Gas Hub concept on which the EC continues to work very hard and which could also include new gas supply infrastructure from Russia in a manner that is fully compatible with EU rules. In this context, with the help of the EC, the Bulgarian authorities are organizing a stakeholder investor roundtable meeting in Varna on September 5 and 6, 2016," the letter reads.

Concerning the nuclear issues raised in Borissov's letter, Juncker highlights that the EC fully respects the right of Bulgaria to determine its energy mix. "Should Bulgaria decide to build a new reactor, it must notify such an investment to the EC under Article 41 of the Euroatom Treaty," the letter says.

"The EC stands ready to continue supporting Bulgaria in the future, especially in the energy sector, by promoting regional cooperation, further integration and the mobilization of investments the country needs to modernize its energy system for the benefit of its citizens and the consolidation of the Energy Union," the letter says.