Source: European Parliament
Following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Commission outlined in REPowerEU the strategic necessity to accelerate the clean energy transition and diversify natural gas supplies, including through domestic gas resources[1]. The EastMed pipeline is one of the options to transport gas from Israeli and Cypriot fields to Greece.
The Commission continuously monitors energy infrastructure developments in alignment with EU policy objectives and available policy instruments. The EastMed pipeline is included in the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs), and therefore can benefit from streamlined permitting processes, improved regulatory treatment and funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) under certain conditions. The project has received funding under the CEF to carry out a feasibility study. The feasibility of the EastMed pipeline will depend on its commercial viability, including future demand dynamics in line with our climate ambitions, and its potential to contribute to the goals of the REPowerEU.
The Commission monitors the implementation of the priority projects and works alongside Member States to address emerging challenges. For instance, the EU addresses challenges like cyber threats and physical security to energy infrastructure via the Critical Entities Resilience Directive[2] and the Network and Information Directive (NIS2 Directive)[3], and is reviewing the Union’s energy security framework.