Slovakia and Hungary ink memorandum on Eastring

Slovak Economy Minister Peter Žiga and Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Eastring gas pipeline project in Košice on Monday. According to the Economy Ministry, Slovakia has been pushing for the implementation of the Eastring project for a long time. It should contribute towards strengthening energy security in central and south-eastern Europe and diversifying gas supplies to Europe. According to the Slovak Economy Ministry, in order for the project to be successful, support is needed among governments, transmission system operators and regulators. Bulgaria was the first to express such support when the country signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Slovakia in July 2016. A similar memorandum was signed between gas operators Slovak Eustream and Bulgartransgaz in June 2016. The dual direction Eastring pipeline is a joint project for Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary with a planned capacity hovering at around 20-40 billion cubic metres of gas per year.