site.btaBulgarian MEP Tsvetelina Penkova Elected European Energy Forum President

Bulgarian MEP Tsvetelina Penkova of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats has been elected unanimously President of the European Energy Forum, her press office said. The vote took place on Tuesday at the first meeting of the organization during the new term of the European Parliament. Penkova will be the first woman president of the organization and for the first time in the 20-year history of the European Energy Forum, a Socialist will be at the helm. Penkova succeeds former Polish Prime Minister and President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek, who led the forum for the past 10 years. European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson also attended the event.

Tsvetelina Penkova has significant experience in the organization, of which she became a member at the beginning of the previous term and was subsequently elected to the Board of Directors. The MEP has worked on important legislation in the areas of re-industrialization, energy efficiency and nuclear energy in the EU. 

The European Energy Forum is the largest non-profit energy organization in Brussels, developing a tripartite dialogue between the legislature, energy operators and the executive, as well as the largest energy companies operating in the European market.

After her election Tsvetelina Penkova said the priorities for the development of European policies in the field of energy. "The election campaign gave us the opportunity to hear directly the voice of European citizens. They do not want declarations to save the climate, but a quick and effective reduction of energy bills. This can only be achieved through more investment in baseload sources, such as nuclear power, and better connectivity between all EU countries. We need to build thousands of kilometres of high-voltage transmission lines in the coming years if we want to build a truly functioning and connected common energy market. Only in this way can we guarantee affordable electricity transmission prices from one end of the continent to the other."

"We need predictability of public policies, lower prices for households and businesses, the creation of new and high-paid jobs for professionals in the sector and improving the competitiveness of European companies in the global market", Penkova said, quoted by her press office.