During the conference, the deputy minister recalled that in September last year a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Romanian Ministry of Energy and the Polish Ministry of Energy on cooperation in the energy sector. One of its important elements is the cooperation aimed at strengthening the supply of natural gas.

Natural gas has an important role to play as a transition fuel in the energy transition in Central and South-Eastern Europe and should act as a bridge between coal-fired energy and zero-emission energy sources. Moreover, it is important to take into account the individual conditions of the energy transition in individual EU countries, he said.

The deputy minister emphasised that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has hit European economies hard, and the energy and climate transition has become an important driving force of economic recovery.

Poland is determined to make the energy transition socially acceptable, ensuring fair transition conditions in the regions most exposed to burdens. Poland and Romania share common transition challenges. Natural gas has a vital role to play in the energy transition, replacing coal and improving air quality. Therefore, both Poland and Romania care for the security of natural gas supplies, he added.

The deputy minister also pointed out that the key concept that will make the Three Seas region independent of gas supplies from the east is the completion of the North-South corridor. In Poland, this concerns the construction of the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline, connecting Poland with the Norwegian continental shelf and increasing the regasification capacity of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście.

Our market integration activities are a prelude to creating a gas transmission and trading centre for Central and South-Eastern Europe. We attach great importance to strengthening regional gas cooperation within the Visegrad Group and the Three Seas initiative, which includes all V4 countries. The implementation of infrastructure projects, including interconnections between Poland and its neighbours, is proof of fruitful cooperation, he concluded.