The targets set by the EU regarding energy policy and fighting climate changes are very ambitious and set an example for the rest of the world, President Rosen Plevneliev told Bulgarian media after the meeting of the European Council. The EU summit in Brussels focused on the policy in the spheres of climate and energy in the 2020-2030 period.
Apparently Europe is becoming a leader with respect to the actions to be taken against climate changes and to seeking models for sustainable development, Rosen Plevneliv further added and emphasized that the EU expects the United States and China to “take up the direction Europe has set.”
The Head of State emphasized that the major priorities identified in the sphere of EU energy policy at the European Council summit were diversification, energy liberalization, connecting the energy networks, opening up common electricity and gas markets, as well as ensuring energy efficiency and creating a European Energy Union. Our country is still paying one of the highest prices for natural gas supply in Europe, namely because no inter-connectors have been built with neighboring countries, the President recalled. “I am content that the sensible priorities we have been debating on in the past three years in Bulgaria were strongly confirmed at the summit. What is important is that currently these priorities are vested with concrete parameters and all member-states will fulfill them,” Rosen Plevneliev further said.
An agreement was reached at the meeting whereby every EU member-state should reduce the greenhouse emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and increase energy efficiency by 27 percent. The President was adamant that the EU funds will help our country implement namely these sensible EU priorities, which are extremely important for Bulgaria.
Our country will host some of the debates on structuring the future European Commission investment fund worth 300 billion euros and on identifying the priorities in its work, President Plevneliev proposed at the meeting. The Head of State emphasized that the plan of Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, does not envisage spending funds from the European Commission budget, but sets a framework for an increased cooperation in the private and bank sectors. “This is a new approach which implies not simply spending European money, but public funds which should multiply attracting a lot more investors from the private sector. This is a very bold decision made for the first time and it discards the image of the European Commission as a bureaucratic institution which only spends money,” the President said.
The countries from the Visegrad Four, together with Bulgaria and Romania, insisted on a more flexible management of the EU funds during the current programming period, Rosen Plevneliev further said. The Head of State emphasized that the coordinated position of the six countries was supported and will be reflected in the documents adopted by the European Council.
The European Council summit made the decision to allocate one billion euros to fighting Ebola in Africa, the President’s words made it clear. “Bulgaria supports the European Council in its efforts to fight the disease,” the President further said.