The Central and South-Eastern Europe Gas Connectivity (CESEC) initiative brings together EU and non-EU countries under a single regional framework promoting energy policy cooperation. All states in the region share common challenges in the areas of energy security and energy market development that can best be addressed via a joint regional approach.

To date, the initiative has been a major political success for all those participating – the European Commission, the member states and the Energy Community contracting parties – which together have taken ambitious steps towards the creation of a regional energy security framework on the back of a regional energy market. Essential elements include the high-level political commitment, the prioritisation of a limited number of key infrastructure projects and the smart mobilisation of available EU funding.

These accomplishments are relevant for the successful implementation of the initiative’s next phase, CESEC 2.0, which will see its extension to electricity markets, renewables and energy efficiency, for which the high-level meeting in Bucharest on 27-28 September 2017 is expected to lead the way.

Christian Egenhofer is Associate Senior Research Fellow at CEPS and Director of CEPS Energy Climate House, Cristian Stroia is a Research Assistant at CEPS Energy Climate House. The text of this Policy Insight was originally prepared for discussion at the High-Level Group Meeting of the Central and South-Eastern Europe Gas Connectivity (CESEC), Bucharest, 27-28 September 2017.