Energy is bringing Eastern and Central European countries together thanks to the Commission’s connectivity project that was launched in 2015. The initiative is meant to strengthen solidarity and enable a safer and more affordable gas supply to citizens and business across the region.
The latest meeting of the Commission Vice-President responsible for the Energy Union Maroš Šefvovic, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete and Energy Ministers from nine EU Member States and eight Energy Community Contracting Parties in Bucharest was a landmark moment for the entire region, bringing new dimensions to the cooperation and solidarity needed to address the energy challenges faced in this part of Europe.
Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefcovic stressed that “cooperation under the CESEC umbrella has turned into an exemplary success story, proving that solidarity is the solution. Given its rapid accomplishments in the field of gas, we are expanding the scope of the cooperation in the region to electricity, renewables and energy efficiency. It will therefore cover all dimensions of this project of European solidarity that is Energy Union.”
The meeting saw the launch of two new working groups of the gas transmission system operators – one on the so-called Vertical corridor between Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary and the other one on the implementation of reverse flow on the Trans-Balkan pipeline system. Regarding the former, the development of plans for the Vertical Corridor connecting the gas grids has already reached advanced stage and the works might finish in 2019, costing 560 million euros out of which half is paid by the EU.
