Minister Petkova: Energy reforms are fruit of our co-operation with the non-governmental sector
The Vice President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič: "In Brussels, we highly appreciate the work of the Bulgarian Presidency".
Reforms in the energy sector would not be possible without our close cooperation with the energy sector. Only in the framework of constructive dialogue and hearing can we achieve sustainable development of the Energy Union. Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova said to the participants in the conference ""The role of the NGOs in improving the energy policy and the legal basis in the field of energy – challenges in South East Europe". The first official event of the programme of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, part energy, is organized by the Institute for Energy Management in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy.
"Clean Energy for All Europeans" legislative package, on which Bulgaria is actively working within the Presidency of the Council of the EU, would not be so ambitious and unique without the active involvement of the non-governmental sector in its development and implementation, the Energy Minister stressed. We are currently facing the challenge of making most possible progress on the dossiers of the package and we will rely again on the active dialogue with non-governmental organizations, Petkova added.
The European Commission supports Bulgaria's efforts to build interconnectors with its neighbouring countries and to implement the concept of gas hub on the territory of Bulgaria, the Vice-President of the EC responsible for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič told participants. He welcomed the country's efforts to make a transformation from a transit gas center to a trader of natural gas. The completion of interconnectors is particularly important for the creation of a single energy market in the context of the initiative to bring together the Western Balkans in which Bulgaria has a leading role, Sefčovič underlined. The Vice-President of the European Commission also highlighted the country's intensive efforts to continue the initiative for gas connectivity in Central and Southeast Europe /CESEC/ so that each country has access to at least three different sources of natural gas.
In his words, a major transformation of the coal sector in Europe is forthcoming and it will affect 41 regions on the old continent. The EC will actively cooperate with Bulgaria in this process and within the framework of the Coal Regions in Transition Platform. The involvement of civil society and the non-governmental sector is a key to successfully completing this process, Sefčovič concluded.