A new initiative to enhance electricity, digital, and regional connectivity across South East Europe was introduced at an event in Thessaloniki. The project, titled "Electricity, Digital and Regional Interconnectivity in South East Europe," is led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Delphi Economic Forum.
Opening the event, Delphi Economic Forum founder and president Symeon Tsomokos emphasised Thessaloniki's historic role as a gateway linking Europe and the Balkans. The Greek ambassador to the OECD, Giorgos Pagoulatos, underlined the strategic importance of deeper regional integration and recalled that the 2003 European Council meeting in Thessaloniki formally opened the path for Western Balkan countries to pursue EU membership. He added that their accession has become increasingly urgent amid growing geopolitical instability. According to Pagoulatos, the enlargement perspective will be a key priority when Greece assumes the presidency of the Council of the EU in 2027.
The OECD project, designed and funded by Greece with co-financing from Romania, aims to improve cross-border electricity interconnections across the region. Stronger links between national energy systems could enhance energy security, lower costs, and accelerate the development of renewable energy sources.
OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann outlined four key reform priorities for the Western Balkans: aligning regulatory frameworks with EU standards, strengthening competition and governance in state-owned energy companies, modernising ageing infrastructure and expanding digitalisation and renewable energy deployment.
Cormann noted that only 48% of relevant EU energy standards have been implemented in the region, while outdated grids cause electricity losses of around 14%, nearly three times the EU average. At the same time, the Western Balkans currently use only 4% of their solar and 2% of their wind potential, with Greece cited as a successful example of accelerating the transition to cleaner energy.
Greece's deputy energy minister, Nikos Tsafos, said energy security now centres on three priorities: affordable energy, strategic autonomy, and stronger regional interconnectivity, highlighting Greece's rapid transition from lignite to renewables and its emergence as a net electricity exporter.
Romania pledged regulatory reforms to support the OECD's regional connectivity project by 2027, while officials warned that electricity demand in Europe could rise by 60% by 2030 and that ageing coal infrastructure and low smart-meter adoption remain major challenges in the Western Balkans.
The OECD initiative aims to integrate regional electricity markets, expand renewable energy trade and digitalise energy systems, with workshops planned across the Balkans and a comprehensive policy roadmap due in 2027.
