The President in the town of Silistra: “A common energy strategy of countries in the Danube region will improve our energy security”
2013-11-19 15:44:00
President Rosen Plevneliev announced that he stands for a common energy strategy for the Danube countries, which will improve energy security by connecting the systems for transfer of energy resources. Diversification of energy sources is a European priority, reminded the President expressing his concern about the risks of a new gas crisis in Bulgaria with regard to trade relations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
"There is only one solution – connectedness of energy networks, energy efficiency and energy diversification. This also affects the trust of investors" said Rosen Plevneliev in Silistra, where a discussion on the common priorities of Bulgaria and Romania in 2014 was held. "We have a joint project with Romania for a gas interconnector that is already under construction. The Gas Interconnecor with Greece will provide access to the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and through the Bulgarian grid Romania can have access to gas from Azerbaijan", the President told the forum.
A declaration of cooperation and joint efforts for the construction of a third bridge over the Danube at Calarasi - Silistra was signed between the mayors of the two municipalities, in the presence of President Rosen Plevneliev, at a ceremony within the Council Regional Development and Infrastructure of the President.
"Bridges are a symbol of unity and continuity. Six Bulgarian and five Romanian governments worked on the second Danube Bridge and congratulated each other on the success as a result of our common will and the support of the European Commission said the President. He pointed out the New Europe Bridge between Vidin and Calafat as an example when parties have common and meaningful priorities, change is possible and regions receive new perspective.
During the discussion in Silistra, Rosen Plevneliev outlined the main areas of cooperation with Romanian partners, highlighting the collaborative opportunities to attract foreign investment and the realization of joint Bulgarian-Romanian projects.
According to President Plevneliev, investment in the construction of industrial zones, in the modernization of port facilities and the construction of intermodal hubs will motivate investors in the whole region of the Danube and especially in the Bulgarian/Romanian section of the river. The President went on to say that it is no coincidence that intermodal terminals are among the key priorities for the EU in the next programming period. The construction of an intermodal terminal in Vidin and of an industrial zone near the second bridge over the Danube is also under preparation, which is already of interest to investors,
President Plevneliev also pointed out that sectors such as tourism, automotive, agriculture and food production, as well as industries connected to human health, are creating common standards and a strong foundation on which Bulgaria and Romania can build their cooperation. "Until five years ago we had 200,000 Romanian tourists on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and today they are one million," the President stated .
Rosen Plevneliev also confirmed the country 's commitment to work not only for the export of agricultural raw materials but also of finished products. "Hence we need to develop common food laboratories and centres, create international commodity exchanges for food and agricultural production jointly with Romania, which has a strategy similar to the Bulgarian”.
Rosen Plevneliev reiterated in front of the participants in the discussion that water reform must continue and declared that he supports an integrated approach to water planning. "Bulgaria has general development plans for the next 35 years and it is now necessary to achieve consolidation in the sector, which is not yet finalized," he said calling for the development of solutions to problems related to the efficient use of water resources, environment protection and biodiversity.
Among the priorities for both countries after 2014, the President continued, was waste treatment and construction of waste processing plants. "Only 6 percent of the waste that Bulgaria produces goes to recycling and we must understand that effective waste management is one of the tools to become rich".
The President also highlighted the opportunities for realization of joint projects with the funds in the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Bulgaria - Romania 2007-2013, which is expected to be over 90 percent completed. Both parties should benefit from cooperation on the Danube Strategy in its four key areas - connectedness, environment protection , socio- economic cohesion and tourism.
"Our citizens expect results from us, so it is our common task to clarify our priorities, negotiate and implement them quickly. You can count on my full support," the President said to the participants in the discussion in Silistra.
