Austerlitz Format PMs Want to Address Electricity Prices at EU Summit

Bratislava, 10 February (TASR) - The premiers of Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have agreed, within the framework of the Austerlitz Format, on a declaration outlining their positions ahead of Thursday's (12 February) informal summit of the EU, Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a news conference following the Austerlitz Format meeting on Tuesday. The declaration sets out the priorities that the European Union should focus on, one of which is electricity prices. "I urged my colleagues to unleash an 'artillery barrage' on the European Commission concerning the issue of electricity prices," said Fico. He argued that the EU can't compete globally if electricity prices are several times higher than those in China or India, while pursuing what he described as 'senselessly ambitious climate targets'. "If nothing else were achieved on Thursday, just a single informal conclusion were reached - namely that we'll move towards lowering electricity prices - I would view this informal summit as a huge success, with the conclusions then being formally adopted at a standard summit in Brussels in March," said the Slovak premier. Fico described the declaration as a first step towards pulling the EU out of crisis, warning that idleness could lead the entire Union into disaster. "Today, we are delivering a joint stance that we've adopted to the European Commission president and to everyone else. It includes other issues related to the automotive industry and the single European market," said Fico, who pointed out that the document represents a comprehensive view of the three countries regarding what should be done in the near future to enhance the EU's competitiveness. ko/df