Press Release: Energy: Central Eastern and South Eastern European countries join forces to create an integrated gas market

On 10 July 2015, 15 EU and Energy Community countries in the Central Eastern Europe and South East European regions agreed to work together to accelerate the building of missing gas infrastructure links and to tackle the remaining technical and regulatory issues which hamper security of supply and the development of a fully integrated and competitive energy market in the region.

The Memorandum of Understanding and Action Plan that formally launched the initiative were signed in Dubrovnik by EU Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and EU Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete and by the Energy Ministers and their representatives from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Moldova were expected to sign at a later stage.

The signing took place in the context of the CESEC High Level Group, set up in February 2015 to boost natural gas diversification and market integration in the region.

ESO: Background information: First meeting of the Central East South Europe Gas Connectivity (CESEC) High Level Group http://www.europeansources.info/record/statement-joint-press-statement-by-ministers-and-representatives-of-austria-bulgaria-croatia-greece-hungary-italy-romania-slovenia-and-slovakia-and-the-european-commission/

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