Energy official: EU to remain reliable buyer of Azerbaijani gas

The capacity of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has increased by 12% as of early 2026, making it possible to deliver an additional 1.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to the European Union, according to Cristina Lobillo Borrero, Director of the Energy Platform Task Force and International Relations at the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission.

She made the remarks during meetings of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council and the Green Energy Advisory Council held in Baku, as per local media.

Lobillo Borrero stressed that Azerbaijan and the Southern Gas Corridor play a pivotal role in the EU’s strategy to diversify energy supplies and reduce reliance on Russian energy resources.

“With the start of the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine and Russia’s use of energy supplies as a tool of pressure on the European Union, increasing natural gas deliveries via the SGC has become an important contribution to the diversification of the EU’s supply sources,” she stated.

She underlined that Brussels is committed to sustaining long-term energy cooperation with Baku.

“The European Union will remain a reliable buyer of Azerbaijani gas in the foreseeable future, and supplies from Azerbaijan will play an important role in further reducing the EU’s energy dependence,” Lobillo Borrero said.

She added that the European Union has allocated substantial financial resources to diversification and strengthening resilience, particularly by expanding access to the global energy market.

“In this context, we attach great importance to maintaining a strong, mutually beneficial partnership with reliable suppliers such as Azerbaijan,” she noted.

Lobillo Borrero also revealed that the European Commission is preparing a new regulatory package aimed at enhancing energy security.

“We are revising the EU’s energy security architecture, assessing further reforms beyond storage mechanisms in order to prevent possible disruptions in gas supplies,” she explained.

Concluding her remarks in Baku, she emphasised the strategic nature of EU-Azerbaijan cooperation.

“By gathering today in Baku, we reaffirm that our partnership is not only transactional but also strategic in nature. By working together to ensure stable supplies, competitive conditions, regulatory coordination and a gradual reduction of emissions, we can strengthen Europe’s energy security while supporting Azerbaijan’s role as a key, reliable and forward-looking partner,” Lobillo Borrero added.

By Tamilla Hasanova