Moldova invited to join Balkan Energy Pact

Norway, Ukraine and Moldova might join recently created South-Eastern Europe Balkan Energy Treaty, which has as aim strengthening of the cooperation between the member states in the perspective of European integration. The European Commissioner for Energy, Andris Piebalgs, announced about this on Sunday. Now these three countries have the statute of "observers" at the Energy Treaty. According to Romanian press, Piebalgs also noted that Brussels is decided to intensify talks with Turkey in order to join the Pact. Even if Ankara always showed its interest to join EU, it refused to be part of the Balkan Energy Pact, which reunites eight countries from south-eastern part of the continent and was drafted as starting a phase of regional cooperation before EU accession of these countries. Until now, Turkey did not want to join this formula of regional collaboration. The Pact was signed in October 2005 and includes Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo. The European Union will join them as partner. The Pact, following to enter in force in July, intends for the members states to harmonize their legislation in the energy field with the European one, to join their distribution networks and, at last, to offer to the population high quality energy at a convenient price.