Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said Sunday Slovakia's decision to relaunch an ageing Soviet-era nuclear reactor showed a quick response to the gas crisis.
"At the moment, I take it rather as a demonstration of their readiness to tackle an issue that the European Union cannot resolve for Slovakia — a looming blackout," said Topolanek, whose country currently holds the EU presidency.
On Saturday, Slovakia said it would begin reopening a VVER 440/230 reactor, — the oldest type of the Soviet nuclear power generators — at the Jaslovske Bohunice plant near Bratislava because of the cut-off in gas supplies due to the payment dispute between Russia and Ukraine.
Slovakia shut the unit down on December 31, meeting a commitment it had made to the European Union ahead of its 2004 entry into the bloc.
"We know that this is a violation of our conditions of membership" in the EU, but there is "a risk of a blackout" that must be addressed, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Saturday.
Topolanek said Slovakia produced "power from gas and they are facing serious problems" and added the issue showed Europe needed mechanisms to ensure energy security, one of the Czech EU presidency's top priorities.
"We are tackling the problem five minutes past twelve, not at five to twelve," he said only a few hours after returning from a mission to Russia and Ukraine that paved the way for renewed gas deliveries.
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