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Romania to send EU Commission answer on banning natural gas exports, by Friday
The Romania authorities will send the EU Commission a plan of the natural gas supply security and an answer on the banning of the natural gas exports, by Friday, State Secretary with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and the Business Environment Rodin Traicu told Agerpres, on Monday.
'The plan for the natural gas security is finalized and it will be sent to the EU Commission by the end of the week. Likewise, we will send the EU Commission an answer to the pre-infringement letter Romania received regarding the ban on natural gas exports. As a matter of fact, it deals with a joint Order the authorities issued in 2007 and amended in 2009 and in 2011, and that was banning the exports. The law on energy currently in force allows the exports, and therefore the Order is null and void ,' said Traicu.
He also stressed that technically, since 2013, imports and exports become operational through the two interconnection pipes, namely that between Arad (western Romania) and Szeged (Hungary) and that connecting Giurgiu (southern Romania) and Ruse (Bulgaria).
The plan for securing the natural gas supply includes aspects related to the technical possibility to import and export natural gas, and this will be possible starting 2013. According to the EU directives, each EU country must secure its independence, through energy reserves for 90 days, and the EU states must be inter-connected,'Traicu added.
On this Nov 21 the EU Commission started the infringement procedure against Romania due the ban on the natural gas exports, State Secretary Traicu explaining it was one of the pre-infringements the EU Commission sent.
President Basescu on infringement: There are no technical conditions for Romania to export gas
President Traian Basescu said there are no technical conditions for Romania to export natural gas, adding that the infringement procedure started on Monday by the European Commission against Romania indicates that the commission does its job.
Asked to comment on the decision of the European Commission to start the infringement procedure against Romania because of Romania's ban on gas exports, Basescu pointed to the Government.
'Ask those who turned Petrom private when Mr. Victor Pot was head of the audit team and under what conditions they sold the subsoil resources - crude oil and 50 percent of the country's gas that Petrom used to export - and after he answers about the conditions for the privatisation I will be able to offer you an answer as well. For your tranquility, I can tell you that the European Commission is certainly doing its job, because once we entered the EU we have to play by the rules, but there are no technical conditions for Romania to export gas. Romania can only receive gas. It depends on Romania when it gets such technical conditions in place,' said Basescu.
The European Commission on November 21 started an infringement procedure against Romania for the country's ban on gas exports.The information was confirmed by Carlo Corazza, spokesman for European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani, at a daily news conference in Brussels. 'A letter was sent to the Romanian authorities on November 21,' said Corazza.
PM Ponta: Romanian gas export, Russian gas import catastrophic for Romania
The current solution of exporting the Romanian natural gas and importing Russian gas is ‘catastrophic for Romania', not only for its people, but for the industry as well, Prime Minister Victor Ponta said on Monday.
'I support (Economy) Minister (Daniel) Chitoiu. He announced me (about the European Commission's infringement procedure - editor's note). The idea is that we export Romanian gas and we import Russian gas for triple the price. Of course we have a problem with the European legislation, that says /.../ we should export. On the other hand, I also have a political responsibility and Mr Chitoiu has my support. We'll find a solution. However, to put it bluntly, it means that we export cheap Romanian gas and we import higher-cost gas. But, of course, it also is a matter of a long-term strategy', Ponta said after a meeting of the Social Liberal Union (USL, at rule) leading body.
He spoke of what he ironically called the countries' ‘equality' in terms of the purchasing price of the natural gas: 'We import gas for 450 dollars a thousand cubic meters from (Russian) Gazprom and Germany imports for 180 dollars from Gazprom too. Can you see how equality stands here?! But Mrs (Angela) Merkel goes to Moscow quite often and I, for merely passing by the (Russian) Embassy on my way to the Government's offices, I here I've sold myself to Moscow!'.