Brussels, 09/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - Following the recent gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine, energy was at the centre of discussion in Brussels on 5 March between European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev. In the EU, it was Bulgaria, along with Slovakia, which suffered most as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian trade dispute. Under the European economic recovery plan, Bulgaria is likely to be allocated several tens of thousands of euro for its priority energy infrastructure (see EUROPE 9828) to build gas interconnections with Greece and Romania, and also to enable it to reverse the flow of gas in its network should supplies be stopped in the future. Just like many of his counterparts, Stanishev told Barroso that he was looking for more money.
Stanishev also gave the Commission assurances that Sofia had abandoned any idea of reactivating two of the first four 440 megawatt reactors - units 3 and 4 - at the Kozloduy power station, which were closed down on 31 December 2006 in line with the undertaking made by Bulgaria prior to its accession to the EU. The country will now concentrate its efforts on obtaining higher compensation from the EU. Sofia, which has already received €570 million in compensation for dismantling units 3 and 4, wants more money and over a longer timescale (until 2013) to compensate for losses caused by the shutting down of the reactors. Barroso promised that the Commission would consider his request very carefully.
Stanishev told Piebalgs of the Bulgarian proposal to host a permanent annual energy forum to inform and encourage debate on the European common energy policy, the need for which had become all the more urgent after the gas crisis, they agreed. The Bulgarian prime minister, who thanked the energy commissioner for his proactive approach during the crisis, pointed out that the losses suffered by his country during the gas crisis amounted to over €250 million. (E.H./transl.rt)