BUDAPEST: The European Commission and the Hungarian government have organised a ministerial meeting for today in Budapest to discuss current energy policy issues of South-east Europe’s natural gas market, with the focus on strengthening energy security of the region.
The event will host Miguel Arias Cañete, EU Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action who has talked with Portfolio in an exclusive interview before the meeting. Cañete said the energy strategy of Brussels did not change even after the Russian annexation of the Crimea, and although Germany’s Energiewende is making promising progress Europe’s largest economy is still facing several challenges. The Commissioner also said the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary could increase the nuclear share in the Hungarian electricity production to about 70% from about 40% currently. He also believes that Hungary can achieve both its renewable energy and emission reduction targets.