Estonian PM: Energy security is important everywhere

05.11.2007

TALLINN, Nov 05, BNS - European energy policy and security rose to the fore at a meeting of Estonian, Finnish and Swedish government heads here on Monday, the governmental press service reports.

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip received at the government residence Stenbock House his Finnish and Swedish counterparts, Matti Vanhanen and Fredrik Reinfeldt, who were in Tallinn to attend the Baltic Development Forum.

The conversation focused on the European energy policy. From Estonia's point of view, it is essential to solve all energy market problems in a complex manner, Ansip said.

"It is equally important to take into account all aspects of the internal market, competition policy, trade in greenhouse gas emissions, foreign trade, and security," he said.

Ansip also observed that in developing the internal energy market the ability to control electricity supplies from third countries plays an important role.

"They must be based on the same rules of fair competition and environmental and safety standards that exist in the European Union," the premier said.

Otherwise unfair competition will spring up on the energy market which according to Ansip will in the first place harm countries that invest in a clean environment.

Ansip and his Finnish colleague talked among other things about Estonia's forthcoming accession to the Schengen visa space. Estonia has by now passed all the evaluations necessary for joining the EU's borderless area and implemented most of the recommendations made in evaluation reports. Estonia and eight other EU countries will probably enter the Schengen zone already at the end of this year.

A key topic at Ansip's meeting with Reinfeldt was the priorities of the Swedish EU presidency.

The Swedish prime minister singled out climate change issues. Under discussion were also the EU's reform treaty and the situation of the Estonian economy. With regard to the latter, Reinfeldt acknowledged Estonia's budget surplus policy and very small foreign debt of the government sector.

These macroeconomic indicators are important guarantees of economic stability, the head of the Swedish government said.

Baltic News Service