Commissioner Arias Cañete discusses progress in regional energy cooperation in Central and South East Europe

On 29 June, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete takes part in the fifth Central and South-Eastern European Energy Connectivity (CESEC) Ministerial meeting, taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria. CESEC aims to strengthen energy solidarity and enable a safer and sustainable energy supply for citizens and businesses across the region in the field of gas, electricity, renewables and energy efficiency.

On the agenda, several ceremonies mark the start of investment and works on important infrastructure links for the region: the Greece-Bulgaria gas Interconnector (IGB), the Romanian section of the Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria (BRUA) transmission system project, and the Cernavoda-Stalpu power line in Romania. Ministers also discuss future regional cooperation in the areas of electricity, renewables and energy efficiency and how to best steer the clean energy transition in the region.

Ahead of the Ministerial, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said:

Today we celebrate significant steps reached in some key CESEC priority projects, both in gas and electricity; this is tangible evidence of the concrete benefits for security of supply and diversification brought about by cooperation in the region. Steering the clean energy transition in the region will also be an increasing focus of CESEC. With recent landmark agreements on some of the key elements of the Clean Energy for all Europeans package, now is the time to seize the opportunities from the ongoing energy transition for Central and South East Europe by tapping its huge renewables and energy efficiency potential.