Emphasis on energy security
Recently, Europe’s energy map has changed considerably with the construction of new fuel pipelines such as the Burgas-Alexandroupolis project. Does it worry you that the EU might become too dependent on Russia for its energy? We are in favor of there being many alternative sources of energy and many alternative routes for transporting energy, in order to ensure the security of Europe’s energy requirements. From that point of view, it is good to have a number of energy transport routes. But we must also support other sources of energy apart from those in Russia and this has nothing to do with a lack of confidence in that particular country, but with the expected increase in the demand for energy which Russia might not be able to meet in the future. Generally, dependence on energy sources outside the EU is of concern to us, as in some cases the sources are in unstable regions. So energy security is important. How far does energy policy affect the environment? As the European Commission, we recently announced a series of measures concerning energy security and climate change. I believe that the best way to increase energy security is to actively encourage policies to protect the environment and exploit renewable energy sources. Additionally, we should create a truly internal energy market in Europe and in this respect we will present specific proposals in September. Consequently, even if there are some doubts within the EU over the future of the Union, global challenges are so great that it is imperative that Europe functions as a whole. Each country on its own cannot provide solutions to these problems.
