The first regional taskforce is a part of the E.U.’s Energy Purchase Platform that will help in procuring energy supplies ahead of winter
The European Commission and Bulgaria have announced to set-up a first regional taskforce, as a part of the European Union’s (E.U.’s) Energy Purchase Platform that will help in procuring energy supplies ahead of winter.
The announcement came after a series of meetings between the Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria – Assen Vassilev and the European Commission. The regional taskforce would be stet-up in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. The regional taskforce will now start carrying out joint gas purchases together with the other Member States.
Prior to this, Poland and Bulgaria refused to bow down to Russian demands of paying for gas supplies in Russian Roubles. Russian energy giant – Gazprom has cut off all gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria for refusing to pay in Russian Roubles. Separately, Ursula has warned the Member States from giving in to Russia’s demand to pay for the gas supplies in Russian Roubles, unless its explicitly mentioned in their contract. Bulgaria, which received strong support from E.U., has also asked for assistance from E.U. legal teams in relation to a possible arbitration procedure against Gazprom.
Meanwhile, the Energy Minister of Bulgaria – Alexander Nikolov has said that halting the supply would be a breach of Russia’s trade responsibilities. He stressed that Sofia had already paid for Russian gas in April 2022. It is to be noted that Bulgaria imports 90% of its natural gas from Russia. Bulgaria has sufficient gas reserves and there will be no supply issues in the coming months.
Speaking on the occasion, Nikolov said, “We are currently negotiating deliveries from various suppliers, and if we succeed in reaching an agreement, we can avoid raising the price of gas.”
Taking it to twitter, the President of European Commission – Ursula von der Leyen tweeted,
We stand in solidarity with the EU Member States impacted by Gazprom’s decision.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 28, 2022
Today the @EU_Commission and Bulgaria decided to set up a 1st regional task force under #RepowerEU
It will coordinate efforts to guarantee the region’s energy security and speed up decarbonisation
This pilot will look at gas and electricity needs, prices, flows, as well as infrastructure aspects. The regional taskforce will concentrate on the year ahead and provide specific regional expertise and know-how to develop and implement the REPowerEU action plan. The aim is to reduce dependency on Russian fossil fuels, fill storage ahead of next winter and further accelerate the decarbonisation of the energy sector.
The regional taskforce will support and coordinate implementation of the joint preparedness plans in the region, including international purchase, storage and interconnections – thus contributing to the security of supply in Bulgaria, the region, the energy community and beyond. Bulgaria will also reach out to countries in its neighbourhood on this taskforce. It will have its first ministerial meeting on May 5, 2022. The regional taskforce will work in close coordination and solidarity with Member States and international partners.
