ECRB backs extending Energy Community gas rules to borders with the EU 

The Energy Community Regulatory Board (ECRB) has formally backed a European Commission proposal¹ to make key EU gas market rules, known as network codes, binding at all cross-border points between Energy Community Contracting Parties and, for the first time, at borders with EU Member States. Until now, Energy Community law has not required them at borders with the EU, although most Contracting Parties have already introduced this obligation in national legislation.   The proposal mirrors EU Regulation 2024/1789, which since 5 August 2026 has required EU operators to apply the network codes at borders with non-EU countries, with a limited number of temporary derogations.   

The ECRB’s latest gas market monitoring report shows why this matters. In 2025, average import prices in the Contracting Parties were mostly above the EU average, and most of the region still relies almost entirely on imports. Although more shippers are now active at cross-border points, a few dominant suppliers still control most national markets. 

As the ECRB has long argued, binding rules at all these borders would make it easier to move gas across the region, opening the way to more suppliers and greater competition, and in turn to more liquid markets, lower prices and stronger security of supply.   

The ECRB calls on the Permanent High Level Group, the Energy Community’s decision-making body of senior officials from the Contracting Parties and the EU, to adopt the proposal on 23 November 2026. It also urges governments, regulators and transmission system operators to quickly remove remaining obstacles to full implementation.     

¹ European Commission proposal for a Decision of the Permanent High Level Group of the Energy Community amending Regulation (EC) No 715/2009, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/459 (CAM NC) and Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/703 (interoperability and data exchange network code), as adapted and adopted in the Energy Community.