Georgia joins international Energy Community family

Georgia is developing its energy sector and is one step closer to ensuring this sector meets top European standards after joining the international Energy Community (EC) family.

Georgia has recent been appointed a member of the EC, an international organisation that deals with energy policy.

Today in Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina where the 14th EC Ministerial Council meeting took place, Georgia signed the accession protocol on joining the EC group.

As well as approving Georgia's energy development, today the EC Ministerial Council made important decisions on expanding the environmental and climate dimension of the EC group and adopted a list of priority infrastructure projects to facilitate the integration of the pan-European energy market.

With yet another new country joining the Energy Community family, this framework for the creation of a pan-European energy system is once again showing that it is relevant and successful" said Dominique Ristori, director general for Energy at the European Commission.

The Protocol on the Accession of Georgia to the Energy Community was signed by Georgia’s Energy Minister Ilia Eloshvili and Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mirko Sarovic.

Republic of Georgia just signed the accession protocol on joining the Energy Community Treaty #energy#cooperationpic.twitter.com/w8IP4kbbYG

— Energy Community (@Ener_Community) October 14, 2016

News about Georgia becoming a new member of the Energy Community was announced today on Twitter by the Energy Community. 

Georgia is expected to join the Energy Community as a full-fledged member sometime in 2017, following the ratification of the accession agreement by Parliament of Georgia.

Currently EC members are all European Union (EU) countries as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzogovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine.

Negotiations to see Georgia become a new member of the Energy Community started in 2014 and these talks were successfully completed this year.

Meanwhile, also today the Ministerial Council adopted four decisions expanding the current scope of the environmental acquis.