Energy Community highlights gas market integration as cornerstone of Europe’s future energy security at ENTSOG Conference 

Network codes, cross-border infrastructure and regional storage coordination are key to securing supply in a diversified gas market

Speaking at the ENTSOG Annual Conference 2025 in Brussels, Energy Community Secretariat Director Artur Lorkowski underlined that Europe’s phase-out of Russian gas marks a structural shift in energy security, requiring deeper gas market integration across the EU and the Energy Community. Participating in the panel on Secure energy supply in an integrated and affordable energy system, Lorkowski stressed that security of supply must become systemic rather than national.

“The Energy Community’s experience is unambiguous: integration moves us from short-term crisis response to durable security,” he said. 

The Energy Community’s 2025 Implementation Report, released today, confirms tangible progress in gas market reform. Significant bottlenecks persist, however. Missing capacity products at interconnections such as Ukraine–Moldova and Serbia–Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to limit the effective use of existing infrastructure. Addressing these gaps will be a priority, particularly as the EU’s Fourth Gas Package requires gas network codes to be applied at all borders—including those with Energy Community Contracting Parties—from August 2026. Consistent cross-border implementation by both EU Member States and Contracting Parties will be decisive in unlocking infrastructure potential. 

This is especially critical for the Trans-Balkan Pipeline, identified as a key diversification route. As gas markets become more integrated and network rules are applied consistently across borders, routes such as the Trans-Balkan Pipeline can link diversified supply with regional storage, allowing gas storage to function increasingly as a regional security asset rather than a purely national one. This reinforces the need for closer cooperation on storage access, security-of-supply planning and crisis preparedness. The Energy Community Secretariat will continue to support gas market integration through targeted monitoring, implementation guidance and regional cooperation platforms, helping ensure that integration delivers real security of supply—especially during periods of crisis and market uncertainty.