The European Commission has established the Euro-Mediterranean gas platform to deepen cooperation on natural gas between Europe and south and east Mediterranean countries on Thursday, the EC announced.
Miguel Arias Canete, the European commissioner for climate action and energy along with representatives of the union for the Mediterranean countries launched a new platform for cooperation on gas in Brussels.
'We have come together because we share a common goal for delivering a stable, secure and thriving Mediterranean gas market that gives people across the region secure, competitive and sustainable energy,' Canete said.
The platform is the first part of a three-step cooperation which will also include the regional electricity market and also renewable energy.
It aims to strengthen security of gas supply in the region by promoting regional cooperation around gas exploration and production, by supporting the development of necessary infrastructure and by reinforcing regional gas trade exchanges, making the Mediterranean basin a major gas marketplace in the future.
'This goal has always been at the heart of EU energy policy, and has truly taken center stage in our Energy Union strategy. I am committed to fully exploiting the benefits of furthering Euro-Mediterranean cooperation on energy issues,' Canete added.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency
murat.temizer@aa.com.tr