The result of this public consultation was the launch by ERGEG (with the backing of the European Commission) of the Gas Regional Initiative in Spring 2006 which set up 3 regional gas markets in Europe, as a first step to creating a single-EU gas market.
These regions identify and implement practical solutions to overcome barriers to competition and trade within the region.
Safeguards are in place so as to ensure that such regional market integration facilitates the ultimate objective, namely a single-EU electricity market.