Bulgaria's Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg confirmed the country's commitment to shut down the third and fourth units of Bulgaria's only nuclear power plant Kozloduy in 2006.
Following a meeting with his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern Saxe-Coburg stated that Bulgaria will carry out the engagements, undertaken in the negotiations for its EU membership, including the Energy chapter, which requires the closure of the two units.
If the chapter is re-opened, it would delay Bulgaria's EU accession, Saxe-Coburg said.
Ahern is paying a two-day working visit to Bulgaria as a part of his tour to the EU candidate countries.
The recommendations of the European Union (EU) concerning the safety of Bulgaria's only nuclear plant in the town of Kozloduy have been met, Antonio Madonna, head of the special EU mission to Bulgaria that is carrying out a check on units 3 and 4 of the n-plant said before his departure from Bulgaria.
The closure of the two oldest units at the end of last year came after many years of concern over their safety, strong pressure from the European Union, protests from the nuclear lobby and opposition parties that the reactors are economically necessary.