V4 MPs urge speedy linking of energy networks

Representatives of the parliamentary economic committees of Visegrad Four countries (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary) met in Bratislava on Wednesday to discuss the EU's energy policy after 2020, energy security and the support of research and an integrated transport system. MPs of the V4 countries agreed on the need to stress the sovereignty of countries towards the EU's climate and energy package, which aims to cut emissions by 40 percent and boost renewable sources of energy to 27 percent. "The EU needs to respect the sovereignty of countries in the creation of the energy mix so that each country is able to decide on its own," said head of Slovak Parliament's economic committee Jan Hudácky. Given V4's near complete dependence on gas and oil supplies from Russia, the officials urged their governments to speed up the process of interlinking the networks, especially the north-south gas pipelines with Hungary and Poland so as to ensure utmost diversification.