Brussels, 07/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has given his support to the Juncker Commission's proposed energy union. He was speaking after a meeting with Commission Vice-President with responsibility for energy union Maros Sefcovic who was visiting Prague on Thursday 2 April.
“An energy union will bring the Czech Republic better security, more reliable power supplies and a higher interconnection and capacity of the grids”, Sobotka is reported by Czech news agency CTK as saying.
Prague was Sefkovic's first visit in a round of the EU capitals to discuss energy union, for which the Commission proposed a strategic framework on 25 February (see EUROPE 11262), the broad thrust of which was accepted by the European Council of 19 March (see EUROPE 11279).
Energy union seeks to secure safe and affordable energy for citizens and firms, decrease Europe's dependence on gas imports from Russia and strengthen Europe's position in negotiations on energy contracts while, at the same time, steering the EU towards a low carbon economy and ensuring it meets its targets in tackling climate change.
On Thursday of last week, Sobotka and Sefcovic also discussed cooperation between the Czech Republic and the European Commission in energy issues and the preparation of the Czech presidency of the Visegrad group, which also has Hungary, Poland and Slovakia as members.
At this, his first stop, in Prague, Sefcovic also met Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek, Industry Minister Jan Mladek and State Secretary for European Affairs Tomas Prouza, with whom he took part in the 2015 Prague European Energy Forum, holding discussions with stakeholders in the sector.
Speaking at the Forum, Prouza stressed that, if energy union is to be successful, all countries will have to apply the same rules. “Every country must have responsibility for its own decisions”, he said, arguing that Bulgaria was in “strategic danger” because it had made practically no investment in its energy infrastructure in recent years.
Sefcovic acknowledged that south-east European countries may have relied a bit too much on the Nabucco and South Stream gas pipeline projects, which have ultimately not been implemented. “I believe that we have succeeded in persuading these countries' representatives that they must change their approach to the issue”, the commissioner said, adding that the Commission is preparing a document that will set out technical solutions for these countries and demonstrate its ability to help them financially in ensuring their gas supplies come from at least three different sources.
Mladek pointed out the need to link the national and European debate on energy, and he repeated that the Czech Republic wants to put the emphasis on domestic energy sources. “We want to ensure the country's energy security and not to depend on energy from abroad”, he stated. (Emmanuel Hagry)