Norway seeks closer energy and climate ties with Poland
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere has said Oslo and Warsaw have to forge and establish a strategic partnership on energy and climate policy.
The move would be a step towards better security and trade, Stoere said on Wednesday after meeting with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, in Oslo.
Speaking about security, the Norwegian senior official mentioned the Baltic Pipe, a natural gas pipeline under the North Sea linking Poland and Norway. Opened in September 2022, it helps certain European countries, including Poland, in their efforts to cease importing Russian LNG.
Stoere announced further prospects for the so-called Norwegian Grants, referring to the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, a non-repayable grant provided by Oslo to EU members. Although Norway is not an EU member, it has access to the bloc's internal market in exchange for this support. Poland is the largest beneficiary of the Norwegian Grants.
"As the EU, we consider Norway our most valuable partner," Tusk said. "We share extremely close ties and are mutually dependent in a positive way."
Oslo's success, strong economy, and energy situation in the country, as well as in Europe, Tusk said, are in both the EU's and Oslo's interests. "We are each other's guarantee that these good interests and close relations will endure, with solid foundations," the prime minister added. (PAP)
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