A Gas Target Model for the European Union: Contrasting MECOS and EURAM Proposal

At the 18th Madrid Forum (2010) the discussion of an EU gas target model was officially launched. It aims at defining a non-binding vision giving coherence to the coming set of European gas framework guidelines and grid codes. There is a European-wide consensus to ensure third party access to interconnections and to promote EU gas trade across the entire EU as to reach – let’s say 2014 – a target model of “achievement of the internal market’. J.M Glachant (director of FSR) and S. Ascari (FSR gas adviser) agree that interconnection capacity is key to increasing trade among EU countries. However, they do not have the same view on who should decide on and who should pay for the needed investment, and how trading places should be selected.