Baltic Energy Representatives call Latvian EU Energy Commissioner’s plans “More Unraveling than Unbundling”
Government, Company, Trade Union and Energy Regulator combine in opposition to EU energy plans for unbundling

(9 November 2007, Riga) EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs’, proposal for ownership unbundling remains hotly contested including in his home country of Latvia and neighboring Estonia. At a seminar in Riga today, hosted by the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), the audience heard criticism of the Commissioners plans from Estonian and Latvian representatives of Government, Energy Companies, Trade Unions and Energy Regulators. "The Commission’s proposals do nothing to contribute to solving the real problem facing citizens in the Baltic states, which is ensuring all domestic households have electricity and gas at affordable prices” said event host, EPSU deputy General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan. He added that; “dealing with security of supply issues, climate change are simply not being sufficiently addressed (by the Commission).”

The CEO of Latvian energy company LATV-ENERGO, Karlis Mikelsons, agreed with this critical trade union position in his address to the audience on the first day of the event. The President of the Latvian energy Workers Union Jevgenija Stalidzane, and the President of the Estonian Energy Workers Union, Enn Luuk, issued a joint statement that; “this Baltic Commissioner has lost touch with the energy needs and priorities of ordinary people in the region”. They added that; “his policy seemed to be more unraveling the possibility of affordable and reliable energy supply, rather than unbundling ownership of energy companies”.

Unions, companies and governments of the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia are opposed to the Commission’s proposals for ownership unbundling and question the practicalities of the Independent System operator Model. For more information on the EPSU position on Unbundling please go here: http://www.epsu.org/a/3205 EPSU and the Baltic energy unions organised the seminar 8-9 November 2007, in Riga Latvia

Contact details :
Estonian Energy workers
Sander.Vaikma@energia.ee

Latvian energy workers Latvia Energia President Stalidzane (stalidzane@energija.lv)

For more information, please contact Jan Willem Goudriaan or EPSU Press Officer Brian Synnott, + 32 2 2501080 or by email epsu@epsu.org

“EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It is the largest federation of the ETUC and comprises 8 million public service workers from over 200 Public Service Unions in 37 countries. We organise workers in health and social services, local and national administration, energy, water and waste. We are the recognised European social partner organisation in each of these sectors. EPSU is committed to building a European Union that promotes democratically accountable public services of the highest quality, within and beyond its borders."

For more information on EPSU and our work please go to: www.epsu.org

European Federation of Public Service Unions
Representing 217 unions - 8 million public service workers