MEPs impressed with developments in energy sector in Cyprus

Head of a delegation of the EP Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Roberts Goebbels, speaking to CNA after a briefing by the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Neoklis Sylikiotis, said they discussed the ambitions of the Cypriot Presidency starting on July 1.

“But we were deeply impressed by the development in the natural gas area”, he pointed out.

Goebbels also praised the initiative of the Cypriot Minister to invite to Cyprus during the Cyprus Presidency, not only the EU Ministes responsible for energy, but also Ministes from countries of the Middle East.

“This will be of course to discuss energy matters, to discuss the developments in the Mediterranean but it has also an obvious political background which could be very interesting if the ministers from Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey could agree in common goals that will have an impact which gone much beyond the energy policy”, he said.

As he said, “it is a very interesting initiative and we are really looking forward to it”.

Speaking about the prospects of natural gas for Cyprus and the EU, Goebbels said natural gas will have growing importance in the energy mix of the EU.

Speaking about Cyprus, he said there’s a lot of future for gas, saying however that the main problem is the interconnection between Cyprus – Greece and from Greece to the rest of Europe. He added that a possible connection with Israel also opens a lot of possibilities.

He noted that liquefied gas facilities that Cyprus is trying to develop is not an easy or cheap solution, but it makes natural gas easy to transport and be used everywhere in the EU.