“Europe is the most affected by what is happening in Iran. Once again we have a problem with energy supplies, which we had supposedly diversified. In this situation, the alternative of nuclear energy is coming to the fore. Our continent This is what the Bulgarian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and former Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin said in the “ReVision” programme on NOVA NEWS. He stressed that the European Union was once again vulnerable to external shocks, even though it was after the war in Ukraine that it should have built a more sustainable energy security model. In his words, the current crisis shows once again that the European Union must more actively develop its own energy sources. Kristian Vigenin commented on the statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the abandonment of nuclear power in Europe was a mistake: “It is obvious that renewable energy is not enough. The alternative to nuclear power is coming to the fore. Although late, this recognition is a hope that measures will be taken.”

Vigenin clarified that in a certain period in Europe there was an understanding that the continent could do without nuclear energy, which led to a weakening of political support for the sector and limited access to financing. He stressed that the BSP has always been in favour of preserving and developing nuclear energy. According to him, it is logical to implement the Belene nuclear power plant and to build new capacities at Kozloduy NPP. “This issue is not up to BSP, but to national interest. “Belene” was delayed for decades with the explanation that it was not an effective project, which concealed ideological reasons. And even now there is evidence that the project would be effective at a cost of up to 9.5 cents per kilowatt hour. We are already above that price. The war in Ukraine will end. In a few years’ time, Russia will be working with the European Union, including on security and energy issues. At the same time, you can see that relations with the United States are quite volatile. My opinion is that if Bulgaria wants to continue to be a player on the energy market and at the same time attract new sources of growth, we should take advantage of both projects,” the MEP argued.

Vigenin pointed out that there is now a new factor that brings nuclear energy back to the centre of the debate. “The rapid development of artificial requires huge and constant amounts of electricity,” he noted. It is this new technological reality, he said, that is forcing Europe to rethink the pace and tools of transition. “Artificial intelligence systems, data centres, cannot function and we cannot benefit from them without massive construction of new nuclear capacity in both its variants – large reactors and small modular reactors,” he stressed.

Vigenin acknowledged that the European Union continues to be among the most vulnerable regions to external crises, despite its huge economic weight. “Perhaps the EU has not had enough time to realise its own strength. This is our main problem. Partners, especially the United States, see the Union as a heterogeneous mix of countries that find it difficult to reach agreement,” he said. He stressed, however, that Donald Trump’s second term in office has accelerated the realisation in Europe that the previous model is already exhausted.

Kristian Vigenin was adamant that the European Union should start taking its own decisions and defend its own interest more clearly instead of waiting for external factors to set its agenda. He warned that energy security, geopolitical stability and Europe’s technological future could no longer be seen as separate issues. “They are deeply interlinked, and nuclear energy is once again emerging as a very important tool to ensure Europe’s independence, competitiveness and ability to meet the new challenges of the digital age”, Kristian Wigenin concluded.