Energy Minister Victor Parlicov will participate on January 19 in the CESEC (Central and South-East European Energy Connectivity) Ministerial Meeting, where Moldova and Ukraine will join the vertical gas transport corridor, which currently includes Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.

With the accession of Moldova and Ukraine, the vertical corridor will follow the route of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, which runs from Ukraine to Greece in reverse. The vertical gas corridor was first announced in 2016 by the gas network operators of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Romania and Austria. The vertical corridor concept is not a traditional single pipeline project, but a system that connects existing national gas networks and other gas infrastructure to ensure the transit of gas and thus contribute to energy security.

The CESEC High Level Group meeting also aims to discuss and plan the future of energy cooperation, with a focus on interconnections and storage for a greener, smarter and more efficient electricity system in South East Europe. The event will also address topics such as recent achievements in CESEC electricity cooperation, future grid planning and renewable energy cooperation, planning of hydrogen and renewable fuels infrastructure, as well as future priorities in CESEC natural gas cooperation and the role of natural gas in achieving REPower EU objectives.

The event will be chaired by the European Commission's Director-General DG ENERGY, Ditte Juul Jørgensen, and will be attended by the European Commission's Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, and the Director of the Energy Community Secretariat, Artur Lorkowski.