Buzek for the creation of a European Energy Community, while EU prepares New 2020 Strategy

  *Brussels/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU Parliament's President, Jerzy Buzek, speaking to Journalists in Brussels, including "EuroFora", while EU Council was discussing the preparation of a New Economic Strategy for the horizon of 2020, explained his strong support for the creation of a European Energy Community :

 - In fact, "it's a lot of problems" which are related "with Energy", he stressed from the outset :

 - "First of all, we (EU) need Secuity of Supply : In some Countries, in many countries,  it's not quite sure". F.ex., "last winter, Slovakia and Bulgaria were in a very bad situation. So, we should build possible connections, for Electricity, for Gas, etc", including "with Countries outside of the EU". So,  "doing it all together would be much more effective, than doing it separately", he observed.

 - "We (EU) need also fighting Climate Change, with new Energies sources, Reneawbles, and Storage, developing New Technologies", Buzek added.

 - Moreover, "we (EU) are speaking also about being more Competitive : That means cheaper Energy, and there, New Technologies are very helpful".

- "So, everything we are saying today about Energy, is, in fact, New Technologies !", underlined Buzek, who was EU's Rapporteur for the current 7th Framework Program on Research and Development.

- That's why, "if we want to have Cheap, No-polluting and Secure Energy, we should build something like a Community. It would be easier for us (EU)", and "more effective", he concluded.

-  "And I'm sure that some Tensions which exist today between (EU) Member States, could be overcome. We can manage those tensions : we can achieve agreements, etc. But it's better not to have such tensions at all. And in a Community, we can solve them better", EU Parliament's President went on to add.

Buzek said that while EU's Heads of State and Government were hearing a communication by EU's President, Herman Van Rompuy, about an informal EU Council that he plans to organize on February-March 2010, in order to discuss and decide on how to respond to EU's need for a New "2020" Strategy in Economy, going well beyond the former "Lisbon Strategy"of 2000, which notoriously failed to boost investment in innovation. (See "EuroFora"s publication : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/researchorturkey.html )

The move is due to be launched during the forthcoming Spanish EU Chairmanship (January - June 2010), who will be succeeded by Belgium's EU Chairmanship (July - December 2010), Van Rompuy's own country of origin.

Meanwhile, the idea to boost Research and Innovation by investing in the Energy sector, was also supported by he experienced, mainstream ChristianDemocrat/EPP Austrian MEP Paul Ruebig, in a question to outgoing EU Commissioner on Industry, Gunter Veheugen, earlier in Strasbourg, who will be succeeded by the new German EU Commissioner, Gunther Oettering, who has been nominated precisely on Energy. (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/oettingerbonn.html )