BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 1. The EU is prepared to examine additional avenues of support to Azerbaijan in renewable energy, Director of the Energy Platform Task Force, Directorate-General for Energy at the European Commission, Cristina Lobillo Borrero said in an exclusive interview with Trend ahead of the Baku Energy Week.
She noted that Azerbaijan can play an important role in EU energy transition.
"The EU’s climate objective is clear: climate neutrality by 2050 is a legally-binding target under the European Climate Law. At the same time, the transition must be secure, orderly and affordable. That means natural gas will continue to play a role during the transition, particularly for security of supply, system flexibility and certain industrial uses. The EU’s strategy is to reduce fossil-fuel demand structurally through energy efficiency, renewables, electrification, storage, grids and demand-side flexibility. AccelerateEU reinforces this direction: reducing exposure to volatile fossil-fuel markets is both a climate objective and an energy-security imperative. Partner countries such as Azerbaijan can play an important role in this transition period in two ways. First, by remaining reliable suppliers where gas is still needed, contributing to diversification and security of supply. Second, by working with the EU on reducing the emissions footprint of the energy sector," said Borrero.
She believes that methane mitigation is particularly important.
"Azerbaijan has joined the Global Methane Pledge, and SOCAR joined the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 in 2024. This provides a strong basis for practical cooperation on measurement, reporting, verification, leak detection and repair, and reducing routine flaring and venting. This is not only about climate policy. It is also about improving efficiency, reducing waste and modernising the oil and gas sector. The EU–Azerbaijan energy partnership already provides several mechanisms for cooperation: the High-level Energy Dialogue, the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council, the Green Energy Advisory Council, and investment-focused exchanges with international financial institutions and European companies. In the context of the Southern Gas Corridor Ministerial meetings in March, the EU and Azerbaijan also convened a Green Connectivity Investment Roundtable with international financial institutions (IFIs) and EU companies to discuss regional energy connectivity, renewable energy and energy efficiency. The EU is prepared to examine additional avenues of support, including guarantees, blended finance and targeted regulatory assistance," Borrero said.
