This is the transcript of the message delivered by Energy Minister Victor Grigorescu, during energynomics Evolution Awards 2015 Gala, held on December 7 at the National Library.

Good evening!

Thank you for inviting me this evening. I am pleased and honored to be here with you to an event that promotes excellence in the energy industry, performance, the best of our colleagues this year. I heard the earlier declarations and, certainly, the several things I want to tell you in the next few minutes will resonate with some of the questions you ask.

For me it is a good opportunity for the beginning of term to talk about the things that the Ministry of Energy is considering broadly in the coming period, within the next year. The first thing we want is to go by this winter, with winter challenges, to ensure that all system components contribute to the objective of security and continuity of energy supply for Romania.

The second thing, moving from a short-term priority to a long-term one that many of you expect – completion of the Energy Strategy. I think it is important both for industry and for the way we relate to public policy, is a tool that we want to be able to discern in an adequate manner our medium and long-term objectives and to establish a coherent public policy framework in this sector. I am thinking at a strategy to be closer to the model of a business plan, a strategy that allows us to integrate future developments, which is not a static mechanism, which meets a need in the medium and long term in this sector.

Sure, this strategy comes in a regional context of provocations we know. I wish the energy sector to improve performance, ensure an adequate level of production, to have a national transport system fully functional and ultimately to ensure that the low-energy import dependence that Romania has to continue to be a future characteristic. We will try to improve the good things we’ve done so far and to transform this context to our advantage.

As a former participant in the European decision making process, I worked in a permanent representation in Brussels, I desire besides state actors to have a voice of industry in the European context, especially at a time when we discuss very interesting developments, mutations in energy policy. I think not only at the design of the Energy Union, but to other related elements that currently is taking shape in an idea of coordination at EU level.

I want this whole experience that nationally we have accumulated in the energy sector over the past 100-150 years to transform, perhaps today, perhaps in the next period, in a much higher level of ambition of local companies not only on the national level, but also in the region. I want companies to invest more, to look forward to opportunities for acquisitions, to want and be able to play a role in this region, an idea of energy security, stability, to be a coagulation factor. And I think that at least some national companies can meet this purpose.

Finally, I want to say that at the beginning of the mandate there are a lot of ideas [about] who could contribute. For me, and this is a very clear message, specialists in the energy sector are very important. There are three things I look at and I will always have next to me those who believe in these values: transparency, professionalism and integrity.

Thank you!