Polish members of parliament expressed their concerns over certain provisions of the Clean Energy package, which was published by the European Commission in December 2016 and which is aimed at achieving the objectives of the Energy Union. As Poland continues to develop and modernise coal-fired power plants and introduce clean coal technologies, the country considers it important to ensure that Polan is not prevented from generating electricity from coal. Approximately 80% of electricity in Poland is produced by burning coal. Lithuania finds it important that the Clean Energy package establishes provisions that determine a level playing field for power producers of both the EU and third countries. It was agreed to look for mutually acceptable common ground by further analysing the documents related to the Clean Energy package in the respective national Parliaments.
The representatives of the two Committees also discussed regional infrastructure projects. Particular attention was given to the Rail Baltica project and its implementation progress. Polish parliamentarians upheld the view of Lithuania on the vital importance of the project and claimed that the Polish Government had adopted crucial decisions enabling successful development of the project in the territory of Poland. Lithuania seeks to have Poland and Finland join the activities of the RB Rail AS joint venture of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, because it would facilitate speedier implementation of the Rail Baltica project by securing the possibility of cargo and passenger transport as rapidly as possible and under the best possible conditions.
During the meeting, members of the delegation discussed crucial and intractable bilateral issues and unanimously agreed that there was a need for a dialogue and constructive solutions. A complex everyday reality of the EU demands closer cooperation between the two neighbouring countries to ensure security and well-being for our citizens while fully respecting each other’s views.
