- Minister Papastavrou at the Athens Riviera Forum praised energy interconnection projects
- Highlighted Vertical Gas Corridor, LNG hubs, and East Med–Europe links
- Held a meeting with transmission operators from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine
- Operators signed a joint statement urging quick approval for the Route 1 extension
From Riviera to “Backbone”
At the Athens Riviera Forum 2025, Greece’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, presented a bold metaphor: the Vertical Gas Corridor is Europe’s “new energy backbone.” The corridor links South to North, he said, and will place Greece firmly at the center of the continent’s energy map.
The speech ticked off the usual milestones: LNG infrastructure in Alexandroupoli and Revithoussa, the conclusion of an international hydrocarbons tender with Chevron and Helleniq Energy, and the electricity links tying the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe. It was less a presentation, more a sales pitch for Greece as an energy hub.
Diplomacy with Pipelines
After his remarks, Papastavrou sat down with transmission system operators from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine to discuss closer cooperation. The meeting produced a joint statement requesting that national regulators approve an extension of “Route 1” for 2025/2026 without delay.
In his closing line, Papastavrou raised the rhetoric:
“From Athens we send a clear message: the Vertical Corridor is the new energy backbone of Europe, linking South to North, strengthening Greece’s role as a hub, and shielding our collective resilience. Today’s agreement turns ambition into action.”
The signatures came from DESFA’s CEO Maria Rita Galli, Bulgatransgaz’s Nikola Delev, Transgaz’s Ion Sterian, and Gas TSO of Ukraine’s Pawel Stańczak.