Jeleva: Belene Nuclear Plant as Pan-European Project Is Best Option

“However, it does not mean that Bulgaria should turn its back to Russia. For us, policy with Russia cannot be excluded of the options list”, Jeleva said. Photo by BGNES

Constructing the Bulgarian Belene nuclear power plant (NPP) as a pan-European project will be lovely.

This is what Bulgaria's Foreign Minister, and nominee for EU Energy Commissioner, Rumiana Jeleva, said in interview for Nova TV Wednesday morning.

“However, it does not mean that Bulgaria should turn its back to Russia. For us, policy with Russia cannot be excluded of the options list”, Jeleva said.

In her words, the development of the Bulgarian energy projects depends too little on whether she will be elected as EU Commissioner.

“If they chose me for that position, on the first place, we must have common European energy policy... In case I am appointed as External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Commissioner, I will work not only for the Bulgarian interest in Turkey joining the Union. The benefit of the Turkey acceptance will be stabilization of the border that separates the East and the West, the North and the South. In this way the region will be more stable. The negative part of the question is that the negotiations are not in a very advanced stage”, Jeleva explained.

The European Union has a principle that says – nothing is negotiates until everything is negotiated, the Foreign Minister said.

“I am still a Foreign Minister, and I enjoy my job. I am still not packing my luggage for Brussels. As far as my name is nominated for EU Commissioner, this will be the fourth time in one year that I will have to create a new team... I do not feel put into the dark by Meglena Kuneva, and I am flattered by the choice of the Prime Minister and the trust that he has in me”, Jeleva added.

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