OREANDA-NEWS. April 30, 2009. Meeting in Vilnius, the Baltic prime ministers signed an energy declaration setting objectives for the implementation of joint energy infrastructure projects and the creation of a common energy market between the Nordic countries and the Baltic countries. The declaration notes that, in cooperation with the European Commission and the affected Member States, measures will be developed for the regulation of energy imports from third countries, reported the Official website valitsus.ee.

At the energy meeting, all of the parties affirmed their wish to develop the Baltic electricity market and join the Nord Pool electricity market of the Nordic countries by 2013. The creation of a common Nordic-Baltic electricity market presupposes the harmonisation of the existing rules in the Baltic countries with the principles in use on the market in the Nordic countries.

Prime Minister Andrus Ansip emphasised that the creation of a common market and the implementation of energy projects in the region are primarily an issue of energy security: “Naturally, energy projects have an economic dimension, yet first and foremost their implementation signifies an increase in the reliability of supply and energy security.”

This, also, is the reason why Estonia continues to be interested in the construction of a new nuclear plant in Lithuania. “Estonia is interested in participating in the Visaginas nuclear plant, and we would like to see the project develop faster than to date,” Ansip noted.

In order to attain greater clarity on where the project is at, Andrus Ansip proposed holding a summit between the prime ministers of the four participating countries, that is, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Estonia.

In Vilnius, it was recognised that creating and ensuring a transparent Nordic-Baltic energy market requires having the possibility to regulate imports of electricity originating in third countries. Without that, it is impossible to avoid market distortions and to ensure the smooth operation of the electricity market.

Accordingly, the signed declaration includes a clause providing for the development of a common policy in cooperation with the European Commission and the Member States of the European Union to regulate energy imports from third countries.