Sefcovic said at a meeting of the Council of the European Union on Tuesday that ministers considered the possibility of simplifying political and bureaucratic procedures during the fulfillment of this energy project.

He said Azerbaijan and Turkey have already confirmed their commitment to implementing projects within the Southern Gas Corridor, including the Trans-Caspian gas project.

The Southern Gas Corridor is a European project based on a network of local pipelines aimed at supplying gas directly to the European Union member-states from the Caspian Sea bypassing Russia. The project was launched in 2009. It incorporates a series of gas pipeline projects, including White Stream (also known as the Georgia-Ukraine-EU gas pipeline), the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline, and Trans-Anatolia pipeline (Tanap). The Trans-Caspian pipeline is seen as an essential element of the Southern Gas Corridor.

Among the European Union’s partners in the Southern Gas Corridor currently are Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt. Potential partners are Iran and Uzbekistan. Geopolitical problems however pose serious risks in terms of investment attractiveness of this pipeline network.