By Agnes Szucs
BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Commission on Wednesday opened the first tender for joint gas purchase.
Speaking to reporters, Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission’s vice-president called the launch a “historic milestone” because this is “the first time ever” that the EU uses its “collective economic weight to increase our energy security and tackle high gas prices.”
He explained that 77 European companies submitted requests for a total volume of 11.6 billion cubic meters of gas, consisting of demand for 2.8 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and 9.6 billion cubic meters by pipeline supply.
“Reliable international suppliers” can apply for the tender until May 15 to deliver gas between June 2023 and May 2024, Sefcovic added.
Founded in December last year, AggregateEU is bloc’s new common energy marketplace meant to accumulate demands and secure new suppliers for the EU to reduce dependency on Russian gas.