Bulgaria Will Diversify Energy Supplies in 3-4 Years - PM

Energy | September 27, 2012, Thursday // 11:01|  views

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has assured Euronews that Bulgaria will succeed to diversify its energy supplies within three to four years. Photo by BGNES

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has voiced confidence that Bulgaria will successfully diversify its energy supplies within three to four years.

In an interview published on the website of Euronews, Borisov argues that Bulgaria will succeed to diversify its energy supplies within three to four years.

Borisov notes that Bulgaria has learned its lesson from the January 2009 gas crisis and is working actively to curb its energy dependence on Russia.

"We have now built a gas pipeline interconnection with Romania. The interconnection with Greece is at a very advanced stage and will be completed in a month or two. Construction work on an interconnector with Turkey and a link to Serbia is about to start. However, the greatest source of energy diversification for Bulgaria is the oil and gas deposits in the Black Sea," Bulgaria's Prime Minister informs.

He also points out the importance of the South Stream gas pipeline and the Turkish Tanap-pipeline and assures that Bulgaria is doing its best to make sure that both Nabucco-West and the South East Europe Pipeline (SEEP) move ahead.

Asked to comment on the impact of the Greek crisis on the Bulgarian economy, he claims that "the EU was too harsh on Bulgaria and Romania but was very tolerant towards Greece. And right now, we are all suffering from this tolerance. The most important thing is to meet the Maastricht criteria, they have to be respected."

Borisov goes on to list the developments over the past three years, including the implementation of a pension reform, an increased retirement age and frozen pensions and salaries.

"Our budget deficit currently stands at 1.2 percent, and foreign debt is at 14 percent. Inflation is at zero percent.The only other EU countries whose economic performance is anywhere near ours are Denmark and Finland," Bulgaria's Prime Minister underscores.

Borisov further assures that Bulgaria's Schengen border is strictly guarded.

"Regarding Schengen, what is good for Bulgaria is that EU member states know that the Schengen border is better guarded than in their own countries," he says, reminding of the huge amounts of drugs intercepted in Bulgaria.

As regards criticism leveled at Bulgaria in the latest report of the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, Borisov suggests that the the transparency of public procurement guidelines is much better than in other European countries.

He adds that the bosses of criminal gangs are either in custody or elsewhere in the world under Interpol Red Notice.

Asked to comment on his "colorful past" and whether he is acquainted with people involved in organized crime, Borisov notes that "I have an excellent past record. These are inventions by Mr Stanishev and his accomplices."

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Tags: Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Schengen, energy diversification, gas crisis, gas supplies, Nabucco West, gas pipeline, Sergey Stanishev, Three-Way Coalition cabinet, Co-operation and Verification Mechanism

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