Vertical Corridor expands into the Western Balkans with the participation of North Macedonia and Serbia
2026. 09. 04.
An important step in the expansion of regional energy cooperation was taken today, with signing an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) participating in the Vertical Corridor initiative. FGSZ and the participating TSOs formally welcomed NOMAGAS of North Macedonia and Transportgas Serbia of Serbia to the initiative, further expanding the Corridor into the Western Balkans.
The signing took place in Thessaloniki, on the sidelines of the 10th Southeast Europe Energy Forum (SEEF). With the addition of the two new members, the Vertical Corridor now brings together:
- Greece: DESFA, Gastrade
- Bulgaria: ICGB, Bulgartransgaz
- Romania: Transgaz
- Hungary: FGSZ
- Slovakia: Eustream
- Ukraine: GTSOU
- Moldova: Vestmoldtransgaz
- North Macedonia: NOMAGAS
- Serbia: Transportgas Serbia
The expansion reflects the continued cooperation among the participating TSOs, with the support of the Energy Ministers of the countries involved, strengthen security of supply, diversify supply sources and routes, and enhance regional interconnectivity.
Through the new MoU, the participating TSOs will further coordinate the development and operation of their interconnected transmission systems, focusing on optimizing the use of existing infrastructure, identifying additional infrastructure needs, enhancing bidirectional gas-flow capabilities and expanding cross-border capacity. Cooperation will also continue at regulatory, technical and commercial level, with the aim of making the Vertical Corridor more flexible, competitive and attractive to the market.
With the participation of North Macedonia and Serbia, the Vertical Corridor is expanding further into the Western Balkans, strengthening its key role as a regional energy route connecting diversified supply sources with markets across Southeast and Central Europe.
The extension of the MoU reinforces the participating TSOs' commitment to the further development of the Vertical Corridor as a strategic component of the region’s energy security and interconnectivity.