8 October 2010,
press release
Mrs
Irena Degutienė, Speaker of the Seimas, highlighted a necessity of specific
infrastructural projects, gas sector liberalisation, and establishment
of a common EU Gas Purchasing Agency speaking in the third Session of the Assembly of Members of the Seimas
of the Republic of Lithuania, the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland,
and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The
fact that Lithuania
still lacks a real energy market and is essentially dependent on Russian energy
resources is one of the most painful parts of the Soviet legacy. We have
realized it after the closure of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant when Lithuania found
itself in a situation importing about half of the power to satisfy national
needs. Power is mainly imported from Russia due to the absence of
connection to the Western European power grid. Only specific infrastructural
projects, primarily power bridge to Sweden
and Poland,
and certainly the construction of a new regional nuclear power plant could lead
us out of this situation. Surely, the development of alternative energy
resources should be enhanced, Mrs Degutienė noted.
The
Head of Parliament highlighted the importance of doing the homework for the
new nuclear power plant construction project, i.e. reaching an agreement with
the strategic investor and clearly defining technical parameters of the new power
plant.
Upon
launching preparation, we immediately declared our goal for this project to
enhance the energy security of the EU Member States: Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. However, as soon as Lithuania declared its commitment to construct a
new nuclear power plant and started consultations with the neighbouring
countries, Russia and Belarus also
declared plans to construct their nuclear power plants close to the Lithuanian
border. Today it is hardly possible to judge whether the Russian and Belarus
projects have to be regarded as having a real foundation or simply as
geopolitical manoeuvres aimed at halting our energy related plans. However, our
neighbouring states are already receiving various appealing offers, notably
coming from Russia,
Mrs Degutienė stated.
Speaker
of the Seimas noted that now Russia
is offering its neighbouring states to buy power from the future Kaliningrad
Nuclear Power Plant or to get involved in this project through some other forms
of cooperation.
We
will respect our neighbours choice whatever it may be, but hope that the
assessment of the competing projects in Lithuania
and Kaliningrad
will include not only the actual economic background of Russian proposals, but
the entire logics of geopolitical actions. After all, energy is an integral
part of politics and geopolitics. Lithuanias aim is to construct a
regional nuclear power plant, thus unique in the entire European Union, with
the management based on the European business model. Meanwhile, in Russia,
business and politics are closely interconnected and the energy sector is
strongly politicized, the Head of Parliament said.
Speaker
of the Seimas raised a question: who could guarantee that one day, if political
environment changed, Russia
would not apply similar energy pressure on its neighbours and project partners
as it had once exerted on Ukraine
and Belarus?
In a
way, the never ending repair works on the Druzhba pipeline could be
considered a form of such geopolitical pressure which is causing problems not
only for Lithuania but also for the Polish company PKN Orlen running
Mažeikių nafta, Mrs Degutienė noted.
According
to Speaker of the Seimas, the Lithuania-Poland power link is a significant
infrastructural project in geopolitical terms.
It
is precisely this link that is to ensure Lithuanias escape from the
post-soviet energy space and its connection to the Western European power
transmission grid. We would like to extend our gratitude to the neighbouring Poland for its
efforts to allow this project to gain momentum, Speaker of the Seimas
highlighted.
Mrs Degutienė
underscored that Lithuania
has launched gas sector reform under the new EU provisions, aiming at
strengthening its energy market and limiting the influence of monopolies.
Our
aim is to implement the EU proposal on the principle of complete separation,
banning the same companys engagement in production and transportation of
energy resources. The implementation of this provision would certainly allow Lithuania a more efficient development of the
projects, aimed at energy independence, i.e. the LNG terminal and gas pipeline
with Poland.
We all understand how hard it is under current circumstances to negotiate with
the company under Gazprom on energy projects that may reduce the
influence of Gazprom in Lithuania,
Speaker of the Parliament said.
Mrs
Degutienė stressed the necessity to support each
decision on the EU level providing leverage and enhancing the Communitys power
of negotiation with the energy suppliers.
Gas
sector liberalisation and application of reciprocity principle are measures
leading towards this goal. In the development of the common internal EU energy
market, based on that principle, the separation principles, applied to the
Community companies, should be equally applied to the external companies aiming
to invest in the EU energy market. In simple terms, we must seek level playing
field for both, the EU and Russia, Mrs Degutienė said and presented an
example of Ukraine who decided to join the European Energy Community thus
making its gas sector more in line with the European regulations.
Speaker
of the Seimas referred to the idea of a common EU Gas Purchasing Agency as its
establishment as another important step towards energy independence.
Another
important step would be the one proposed by Mr Jerzy Buzek, President of the
European Parliament, and Jacques Delors, the Commission ex-president, in their initiative on the
establishment of the common EU Gas Purchasing Agency,
that would limit the discriminatory pricing policy pursued by energy suppliers.
Let us give serious consideration to this proposal, which is highly significant
and has apparent prospects. That would simultaneously add real content to the
principle of solidarity in the area of energy, enshrined in the Treaty of
Lisbon, Mrs Degutienė noted.
According
to the opinion of the Head of Parliament, this new energy strategy has not yet
acquired a real footing yet; however, it draws clear energy guidelines for the
future.
Secretariat of
the Speaker of the Seimas
Juozas Ruzgys,
Advisor to the Speaker of the Seimas
