Bulgaria’s capital Sofia hosted the informal meeting of the EU Ministers of Energy. The event was part of the calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 and went under the motto Clean Energy for Europeans. The extremely important package of dossiers dedicated to clean energy was discussed within the frameworks of the forum. It includes the EU Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive.  EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said at the forum that in few years the energy produced by renewable sources will be enough sustainable and competitive on the energy market, which would make electricity much cheaper. Commissioner Cañete added the EU has to adopt stricter regulations related to the harmful emissions from the coal-fired power plants. These plants will be left without state subsidies if their carbon emissions exceed 250 grams per kilowatt hour. Nuclear energy is a resource which can be used freely by the EU member states, if they ensure the safety of the citizens and strictly fulfill their obligations under the EU directive linked with the storage and the disposal of the nuclear waste, Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete.

In November 2018 the 2050 Decarbonization Strategy is expected to be presented in the EU.

Here is what Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said with regard to the challenges the Western Balkan countries are facing on their way to a free and diversified energy market: The strengthened common legal and institutional framework is the most important pillar of our cooperation. It is based on continued coherence between the legislation of the Western Balkans and the EU energy legislation. We cannot achieve these goals if we do not take into account the energy transition at a national and regional level. The progress of the energy union depends on strong governance structures. With their help we can walk towards a more sustained and secure European energy system.

The EU Ministers of Energy also discussed in Sofia the future role of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). The EU member states will decide by the end of June this year whether the agency will retain its competences, or obtain new ones.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov