Miguel Arias Cañete, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, and Dr. Yousef Bataineh, Ambassador of Jordan to Belgium, alongside representatives of the Union for the Mediterranean countries have launched a new Euro-Mediterranean platform for cooperation on gas.
The platform, launched on 11 June in Brussels, aims to incentivise dialogue, facilitate partnerships between stakeholders and strengthen cooperation between the Members of the Union for the Mediterranean.
It is the first of the three platforms – on gas, regional electricity market, and renewables and energy efficiency – to be launched following the Commissioner's visit to Algeria and Morocco last month. These regional platforms aim to deepen energy cooperation between the EU and South and East Mediterranean countries. The Gas Platform is expected 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.
Speaking at the launch, Arias Cañete said: "Today we have come together because we share a common goal of delivering a stable, secure and thriving Mediterranean gas market that gives people across the region secure, competitive and sustainable energy. This goal has always been at the heart of EU energy policy, and has truly taken centre stage in our Energy Union strategy. I am committed to fully exploiting the benefits of furthering Euro-Mediterranean cooperation on energy issues."
