Poland closes EU energy chapter
By : Greg Goodale
Poland completed a further stage of negotiations for European Union (EU) accession last week, closing the chapter on energy by modifying its negotiating positions on gas and oil markets. The amendments to the negotiating position on energy were announced last week by Jan Kulakowski, Poland's chief negotiator for the EU and Teresa Matecka, the deputy minister responsible for the energy sector.
The Polish negotiators withdrew their request for a transition period related to the liberalization of the oil and gas markets, abandoning the three-year transition intended to allow Poland time until 2005 to restructure and privatize the gas industry before the introduction of domestic competition. "Poland was able to adopt the directive thanks to its concessions allowing for the current (economic) difficulties in our country," Matecka said.
The negotiating team also agreed to bring forward the deadline needed to establish and maintain 90-day emergency liquid fuel reserves to 2008, two years sooner than its previous negotiating position. According to Matecka, reserves for 14 days will be financed by the state at a cost of zl. 576 million ($137 million), and the remaining 76 days by importers and domestic producers.
