Background

The Regional Initiatives bring together energy regulators (NRAs), transmission system operators (TSOs), the European Commission (COM), national governments, energy companies and other relevant stakeholders. Effective engagement is ensured by the following structure, allowing meetings at different levels:

• Regional Coordination Committee (RCC) – Guided by the lead or co-lead regulators, it is composed of all NRAs of a region. It coordinates, facilitates and drives forward the priority projects of the respective region. The European Commission and national governments may provide useful input to identifying and solving specific issues.

• Implementation Group (IG) – Beyond the aforementioned partues, this includes the relevant infrastructure operators (transmission systems, interconnectors, LNG and storage plants), plus other key actors enabling a smooth funcionning of the EU gas market (such as power exchanges, capacity booking platforms, etc.). The IG provides a proper technical framework for implementing effective solutions.

• Stakeholders Group (SG) – All other key market participants (such as gas traders, suppliers and shippers, electricity generators, retailers, associations, etc.) and consumers are brought together in each region to participate in the discussions and to influence the work.

Since its esablishment, the GRI has contributed to noticeable developments in different areas (such as capacity allocation, infrastructure development, market integration, etc.) in the three identified gas regions – North-West, South and South-South East.