On Friday 9 June, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, chaired the fifth meeting of the Steering Board of the EU Energy Platform, in the presence of representatives of the EU Member States, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine, as well as the Energy Community Secretariat, to take stock of the progress made in the joint purchase of gas via the Energy Platform.
“I am delighted to announce that the first contracts have already been signed. I am convinced that other agreements will be concluded, as a large number of contracts are currently being negotiated following the first ‘matching’ carried out on the platform”, announced the Vice-President, who welcomed the success of this first series of joint gas purchases, launched on 10 May (see EUROPE 13179/4).
“It has exceeded our expectations”, he added, even mentioning the possibility that the energy platform model could be used for other strategic commodities, such as hydrogen and essential raw materials, in the longer term.
The second series of group purchases will be launched shortly. European companies will be able to apply for gas aggregation from 26 June, and suppliers will be able to submit bids from 7 to 10 July. The publication of the matching results is scheduled for the same week.
In addition, the Vice-President announced that potential buyers will be able to submit their requests for gas to be delivered between August 2023 and March 2025, and assured that the Commission was continuing its efforts to raise awareness among industrial players, “on both the demand and supply sides”. A meeting with international gas suppliers is scheduled for 20 June. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)