Loading ...The surges in food and oil prices have not been triggered by some thwarted balance between supply and demand, but rather by the expectations and worries over increasing consumption in the future amidst depletion of resources, and the European Union member states have agreed on this, Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said on June 20 in Brussels at the end of the works of the ongoing summit meeting of the European Council.
Tariceanu mentioned that the participants in the European Summit agreed that the short-term measures, fiscal measures included, to counter price surges should not affect the functioning of the market mechanisms and they should also be carried out in a prudent manner, with emphasis on medium- and long-term measures.
At the same time, the summit pointed out that the significant rise in prices for agricultural products is an important element that should be taken into account when the common agricultural policy is reviewed, so that food security may be achieved. To this point, Tariceanu said Romania signed a letter to the President of the European Commission demanding equal access for all European farmers to European farm subsidies. "As you may know, there is a major discrepancy in the calendar for getting in line with the European maximums the farm subsidies granted to Romania and other of the EU’s newcomers, and what Romania is asking for is a normal thing, because Romania wishes for fair competition among states," said Tariceanu.
He added that as far as long-term energy and climate change measures are concerned, which he argued cannot bear fruit sooner that five years, the European Union has embarked on drawing up a strategy which centrepiece is the use of renewable energy sources. The topic was not closed at this EU summit, and talks are to continue at the EU autumn summit late this October. Before that date, a meeting is scheduled to take place next week in Saudi Arabia to be attended by the leading oil producing and oil consuming countries, where solutions will be sought to balance the current situation on the world oil markets.
Tariceanu mentioned that the EU member states voiced agreement at the summit in Brussels over a legislative package that is aimed at unbundling energy production and energy transmission.
"We can say that Romania is a European champion in this field, and we agreed to finalise this package by the end of the current term in office of the European Commission and the European Parliament. I want to believe that the future national energy corporation will play an important part in Romania because it will secure the country access to the necessary energy resources for reasonable prices. We want this way to offer Romania the possibility of providing energy security for itself, and at the same time to have the capability of getting involved in energy transmission projects, where Romania’s role far has been merely political as it could not become a consistent provider to these endeavours," said Tariceanu.
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