Source: European Parliament
Between August 2022 to December 2024, the EU has reduced its natural gas demand by 18% compared to the average of the years 2017-2021, resulting in 175 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas saved.
As substantiated in the impact assessment of the Climate Target Plan 2040[1], the projections show 90 bcm of gaseous fuels (including biogas and biomethane) will still be used by 2050. Gaseous fuels will be part of our energy mix in the future but at a reduced level and in cleaner form, including biogas and biomethane.
The Central and South-Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC) High-Level Group is working on maximising the use of the Trans-Balkan Pipeline, which can significantly contribute to the regional diversification of supply.
CESEC has been addressing barriers to its full use, notably gas quality, regulatory barriers (including tariffs) and market barriers. Through CESEC, the Commission follows the evolution of the Vertical Corridor while maintaining that maximised use of existing natural gas infrastructure should be a pre-condition to capacity developments.
The EU-Türkiye High-Level Energy Dialogue was suspended in 2019 following Turkish unauthorised drilling activities in the East-Med region.
The Commission and the High Representative presented a Joint Communication on EU-Türkiye relations[2] in November 2023 recommending that the High-Level Energy Dialogue be reopened, under strict conditions.
In April 2024, EU Leaders underlined that the EU has a strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and in a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Türkiye and tasked the Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the European Union (Coreper) to advance work on the recommendations of the Joint Communication in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner.