Brussels, 28/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - Meeting in Vilnius on Monday for discussions on energy, the Heads of Government of the three Baltic States, Andrus Ansip of Estonia, Aigars Kalvitis of Latvia and Algirdas Brazauskas of Lithuania gave their backing in a joint statement to the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Lithuania to replace the Ignalina plant, which, after one of its two reactors was halted on 31 December 2004, will finally cease production in 2009. “The idea of today's meeting is to develop new production capacities, to build a large-scale power station in the shape of a new nuclear power plant in Lithuania, and in so doing, to ensure security and supplies of independent electricity for the next 15 to 20 years,” said Mr Kalvitis at a press conference. The three Heads of Government invited Baltic national energy companies to invest in the project. In January, the three Baltic States agreed to launch a feasibility study on the construction of a new nuclear power plant (see EUROPE 9120).
Ahead of the European Spring Council on 23 and 24 March, the Baltic leaders also considered the issue of a common energy strategy. Saying that Lithuania favoured a “stronger” common energy policy, Mr Brazauskas regretted the “lack of awareness of the problem of energy vulnerability of the Baltic States among EU Member States and institutions”. This vulnerability and the action required to reduce it “should be evaluated”, he said, at the highest level. The three Heads of Government stressed the importance of creating a functioning internal energy market, requiring “the integration of the energy systems of EU Member States”. Mr Brazauskas believes that energy questions should be at the heart of the EU foreign and security policy. However, while it is essential to develop an integrated Community energy system, every Member State should retain the right to choose the kind of energy it wants to use. Mr Ansip, Mr Kalvitis and Mr Brazauskas signed a joint statement in Vilnius on the security of supply in the Baltic Sea region and the new EU common energy policy. This policy should ensure energy security on the European level and “invite the EU to develop a mechanism enabling the preparation and provision of aid in case a country faces difficulties related to the failures of the strategic infrastructure or energy supply”.