EU Commissioner: Black Sea Electricity, Internet Broadband Cable Project - “guide for other partners”

Olivér Várhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, on Tuesday said the Black Sea Electricity and Internet Broadband Cable Project would serve as a “guide for other partners”. 

Perhaps the most important and tangible project we have is the Black Sea Electricity and Internet Broadband Cable Project. This model, which we created to bring green energy to Europe and broadband, high-speed internet to Georgia, and therefore to create a digital economy in the country, is an example for all partners”, Várhelyi said in his comments after the eighth meeting of the EU-Georgia Association Council in Brussels.

He said the meeting also discussed transport connections. 

New trade connections and routes are crucial, and Georgia has all the potential to become the centre of a new trade route. For that we need the Black Sea to become a new corridor to Europe, and so we need to repair and improve the port infrastructure”, he said.

The Commissioner highlighted “open opportunities” for Georgia, namely roaming and the first settlement system in Europe. 

Roaming is an area where the Government has made great strides, as the settlement system is an important aspect that will allow us to be interconnected and thereby significantly reduce roaming and data exchange costs for both travellers and Georgians living in Europe. This will be the landmark change that will be noticeable for the population of Georgia”, he said.

Várhelyi added the second area of cooperation involved the payment system. 

Here we still have steps to take [...]. It is about refining the legal norms, improving the rules in the banking sector, in order to move to a single European payment system”, he said.

The Commissioner stressed Georgia was part of the “European family”, adding “we are moving at a faster rate to new heights”.