Eu To İnvest İn New Baltic Gas Projects

European Union leaders have agreed to implement new projects in the gas sector, including the North-South corridor, the Southern Gas Corridor and a new gas hub in Southern Europe.



The agreement on Friday comes at a time of heightened tension between the EU and Russia, as the 28-nation bloc seeks to reduce its dependency on Russian gas and increase its energy security for both electricity and gas.



Russia, the EU and Ukraine failed to agree on a deal on Tuesday that would supply Ukraine with Russian gas this winter.



Without specifying details, a statement released by the European Council on Thursday said the project was also aimed at "enhancing Finland's and the Baltic States' energy security, to ensure diversification of energy suppliers and routes and ensure market functioning".



The Southern Gas Corridor is an initiative by the European Commission – the executive body of the EU responsible for implementing decisions – aimed at supplying gas from the Caspian region and the Middle East to Europe.



Partner countries included in the initiative include Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iraq and Egypt.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Brüksel