On January 18-19, the Commissioner for Energy, Mrs. Kadri Simson, is in Athens for the ministerial meeting of the High Level Group for the Energy Connectivity of Central and South-Eastern Europe (CESEC), which she is co-organizing with the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Theodoros Scylakakis.

CESEC was established in 2015 to accelerate the integration of natural gas and electricity markets in the Central and South Eastern Europe region, with a focus on cross-border and trans-European energy infrastructure projects.

Its work is key to the transition to clean energy in the region and strengthening security of supply.

The ministerial meeting will consider future priorities, including the development of renewable energy sources and the design of future electricity networks, the contribution of renewable gases and hydrogen to the achievement of REPowerEU targets, and the importance of diversifying gas imports. The Commissioner will support ministers to agree new ambitions and new priority energy infrastructure projects and policies for the region in the gas and electricity sectors, with a particular focus on renewables.

On the sidelines of the ministerial session, the Commissioner will attend a ceremony for the recent completion of the electricity interconnection line between Greece and Bulgaria.

He will also hold a bilateral meeting with the Romanian Minister of Energy Mr. Sebastian Burduza.

Commissioner Simpson will make remarks at the beginning and end of the CESEC ministerial session, after which she will make a joint statement to the press together with Minister Mr. Skylakakis.

Her remarks to the press will be available here. More information will be available at the end of the meeting in a written press release here.

Katerina Plati