U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he would be “shocked” if the European Union ultimately refuses to support the Southern Interconnection gas project, aimed at reducing dependence on Russian gas in the Western Balkans.
Speaking in Dubrovnik, Wright praised the decisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia to move forward with the project, which will connect Bosnia to the LNG terminal on the island of Krk. The pipeline is expected to diversify gas supply and reduce Sarajevo’s reliance on Russian energy.
The agreement for the pipeline was signed during the Three Seas Initiative forum, which brings together countries between the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Seas.
However, the EU has expressed concerns over the legal framework of the project—particularly the involvement of the U.S.-based company AAFS Infrastructure and Energy as the main investor without a standard public tender process. This could potentially conflict with EU energy rules on transparency, competition, and regulatory oversight.
Wright declined to comment on the company’s role but emphasized that EU backing would be expected, given the project’s strategic importance in reducing Russian energy influence—especially ahead of the EU’s planned phase-out of Russian gas imports by 2028.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between geopolitical energy goals and strict EU regulatory standards, which could impact both the timeline of the project and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s path toward EU integration.
