Thessaloniki, September 6, 2026 — Today in Thessaloniki, Nedim Rama, Chief Executive Officer of NOMAGAS JSC Skopje, signed the Memorandum of Understanding on North Macedonia’s joining the “Vertical Corridor” initiative, making the country part of broader regional cooperation aimed at connecting natural gas systems across Southeast and Central Europe.
By signing the Memorandum, NOMAGAS joins the natural gas transmission system operators involved in developing the Vertical Corridor — a regional initiative connecting the natural gas systems of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Moldova and Serbia, and creating a strategic south-to-north natural gas transmission route.
The signing ceremony took place at The Met Hotel in Thessaloniki, as part of the 10th Southeast Europe Energy Forum (SEEF 2026), following the ministerial roundtable “Security, Affordability and Competitiveness in a Changing Energy Landscape.”
The roundtable brought together Sanja Bozhinovska, Minister of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources of the Republic of North Macedonia; Stavros Papastavrou, Minister of Environment and Energy of Greece; Iva Petrova, Minister of Energy of Bulgaria; Michael Damianos, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus; and Istvan-Lorant Antal, Senator and Chair of the Committee on Energy, Energy Infrastructure and Mineral Resources in the Senate of Romania.
“For North Macedonia, joining the Vertical Corridor will strengthen regional cooperation, support the better integration of our national natural gas transmission system with the wider European network, diversify gas supply routes and further enhance security of supply across the region,” said Nedim Rama, Chief Executive Officer of NOMAGAS JSC Skopje.
The Memorandum provides a framework for the coordinated development and operation of interconnected transmission systems, with a focus on making better use of existing infrastructure, addressing bottlenecks, increasing capacity at interconnection points and enhancing opportunities for bidirectional natural gas flows.
The cooperation also covers technical, regulatory and commercial matters, with the aim of making the Vertical Corridor more flexible, competitive and attractive to network users.
North Macedonia’s participation further strengthens regional cooperation towards greater security of supply, diversification of natural gas sources and supply routes, and improved market connectivity across Southeast and Central Europe. The Memorandum provides a framework for further interconnection of the participating countries’ transmission systems and the development of bidirectional natural gas flows along the south-to-north route.
To coordinate the implementation of the Memorandum, a Steering Committee, composed of the chief executive officers of the signatories has been established along with a Project Team responsible for carrying out the agreed activities and, where necessary, setting up specialized working groups to address technical, commercial and regulatory matters.
The new Memorandum replaces the Memorandum signed on January 19, 2024, and will remain in force for three years, with the possibility of automatic extension for an additional year unless any of the parties objects.
North Macedonia is already taking concrete steps aimed at strengthening its regional energy connectivity. The construction of the gas interconnector between North Macedonia and Greece is underway, with the project expected ted to be completed and commissioned in the third quarter of 2027. Progress is also being made on the gas interconnector between North Macedonia and Serbia.
The 10th Southeast Europe Energy Forum (SEEF 2026) is organized by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and the Hellenic Association for Energy Economics.
