WE, THE ENERGY MINISTERS AND REPRESENTATIVES of the nations of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC), convened on March 2, 2023 in Zagreb, Croatia and endorse this Statement of Principles:

  1. We note that the energy security landscape in Europe and throughout the world over the past year has changed dramatically as a result of Russia’s unprovoked and unlawful war against the independent and sovereign state of Ukraine. More than ever, a united and determined Trans-Atlantic relationship among partners and allies is critical to ensuring energy security and prosperity.
  2. We recognize the need for a diversification of energy sources and an accelerated decarbonization of our energy sectors as a means to ensuring our energy and national security, its sovereignty, robustness, and resilience. We believe these goals need not be mutually exclusive; a commitment to reliable, efficient, renewable, and nuclear energy solutions presents the best option for a truly secure energy sector.
  3. We acknowledge the current challenges in global energy markets, including fluctuating energy prices, supply chain shortages, and fossil fuel supply uncertainties. We affirm that the only way to fully address these concerns is through unwavering solidarity with Trans- Atlantic partners and allies, particularly as we prepare for the winter of 2023-2024.  
  4. We value the efforts of the European Commission in P-TECC and in European-wide efforts to build consensus, partnership, and support for mutual energy security.
  5. We acknowledge that Central and Southeast Europe plays a crucial role in Europe’s energy security, which requires strengthening the capacities of energy infrastructure, including through building, expanding, and integrating future-proof regional natural gas and hydrogen systems, completing missing links, investing in smart grids, and identifying non-Russian gas supplies, particularly for countries highly dependent on Russian gas.
  6. We recognize the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) and Romania, as its current President, as an important mechanism to enhance our joint work on energy infrastructure development, technical cooperation and investment.
  7. In this moment, and in the future, we support our Ukrainian partners in their efforts to protect, defend, repair, and rebuild the energy infrastructure that has been destroyed by Russia.
  8. We also take into account the importance of ensuring the energy security of the Republic of Moldova through joint European and Trans-Atlantic efforts.
  9. We commit to our efforts to address global climate change through the deployment of renewable energy; clean, affordable, reliable, resilient, and secure energy systems; and energy efficiency solutions.
  10. We continue to understand and support the idea that each country’s path to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is unique, and we support a variety of energy technologies and dedicated transition periods to meet our collective climate and energy security goals.
  11. In doing so, we also recognize the exciting role that geothermal energy can play in the P-TECC region’s energy development, and thereby celebrate the creation this year of a new P-TECC Geothermal Working Group to support the deployment of geothermal energy for power generation, district heating, and eventually, hydrogen production.
  12. We identify the emerging need for technical collaboration in cyber and physical security of energy infrastructure to respond to emerging threats from adversaries and a rapidly changing climate.
  13. We affirm that P-TECC’s body of technical, policy, and project support will emphasize a just energy transition, job creation, economic revitalization efforts for all P-TECC partners.
  14. We commit ourselves to convene a P-TECC Ministerial regularly to track our progress, adapt to the changing needs of the region, and identify new ways to meet the challenges of our energy future, and direct that future towards meeting our common climate stabilization goals.
  15. We encourage the ongoing participation of relevant stakeholders in the P-TECC process, as a means for deepening our discussions.
  16. We express our deep appreciation to the Government of Croatia for hosting a successful P-TECC Ministerial in 2023 and look forward to the coming year of P-TECC work.

 

            Endorsed this day __2nd of March 2023 in Zagreb, Croatia.

 

List of attendees:

Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, European Commission, Hungary, Kosovo, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine