Slovenia is vying to host the seat of the EU's new energy agency. Slovenian officials presented the candidacy for the seat of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators at the session of EU energy ministers.
The Czech EU presidency urged other EU member states to put forward any possible candidacies for the ACER seat by mid-March. Apart from Slovenia a candidacy has so far been presented by Slovakia, in December 2008, while Hungary and Romania have announced their bids. Slovenia's bid was presented by Andreja Jerina, the state secretary at the Government Office for Development and European Affairs. Jerina said that Slovenia would be a very good host owing to its natural and economic circumstances, transport links and the fact it is a member of both the Schengen area and the euro zone. Its odds of winning the seat depend on how many candidacies will be fielded. "But Slovenia has very good reasons to justify its candidacy," Jerina said. Vying for the seat of this agency does not, however, mean that Slovenia is giving up any other candidacies, Jerina said, referring to the bid to host the supervisory authority of the Galileo sat-nav system. "Both our candidacies are strong and there is no exclusion involved," she said. The energy agency will be established after the endorsement of the third energy package for the liberalisation of gas and electricity market, which is expected to be passed this year.