INOGATE was an international energy co-operation programme between the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

(EU), the

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

states of the

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

and Caspian seas and their neighbouring countries. The programme was operational from 1996 to 2016. INOGATE was one of the longest running energy technical assistance programmes funded by the EU. Up to 2006, it was funded by the Tacis Regional Cooperation Programme, and as of 2007, it was funded by the

European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument Global Europe, officially the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), is the financial arm of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, which provides funding for the European Neighbourhood ...

(ENPI) under the ENPI-East Regional Indicative Programme 2007–2010 and 2010–2013.

EuropeAid The Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG International Partnerships or DG INTPA) is the European Commission department responsible for international development policy. It operates under the authority of the European Commissione ...

supported the programme through the ENPI and the

Development Cooperation Instrument Development Cooperation Instrument (2008–2013) covers three components: 1. Geographic programmers supporting co-operation with 47 developing countries in Latin America, Asia & Central Asia, the Gulf region and South Africa. 2. Thematic progra ...

. The coordinating INOGATE Technical Secretariat was discontinued in April 2016.

Origins

INOGATE originated in 1995 as an EU support mechanism dealing with INterstate Oil and GAs Transportation to Europe (whence it derived its name as an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

). It was particularly concerned initially with oil and gas pipelines running from and through Eastern Europe and the Caucasus to the EU. In 2001, a formal 'Umbrella Agreement' was signed by twenty one countries in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, to cooperate on pipeline development and enhancement. Following conferences in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world ...

, Azerbaijan in 2004 and in

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, thou ...

, Kazakhstan, INOGATE evolved into a broader energy partnership between the EU and countries of the former Soviet Union, (excluding the Russian Federation and the Baltic States, but including Turkey), and concentrating on four key topics: * enhancing

energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven ...

convergence Convergence may refer to: Arts and media Literature *''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen * "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics: **A four-part crossover storyline that united the four Wei ...

of member state

energy market Energy markets are national and international regulated markets that deal specifically with the trade and supply of energy. Energy market may refer to an electricity market, but can also refer to other sources of energy. Typically energy developme ...

s on the basis of EU internal energy market principles * supporting

sustainable energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenho ...

development * attracting investment for energy projects of common and regional interest.

Partner countries

The INOGATE partner countries are: Turkey is an INOGATE partner country and was, therefore, regularly invited to attend INOGATE meetings but it is not a beneficiary country.

The Baku Initiative and the Astana Declaration

The

Baku Initiative The Baku Initiative is an international initiative of the European Union. It is a policy dialogue on energy and transport cooperation between the European Union, Turkey, and the former Soviet republics, undertaken as part of the INOGATE energy ...

resulted from a policy dialogue on energy cooperation between the

and the INOGATE partner countries. The initiative was announced on 13 November 2004 at the Energy Ministerial Conference in

. A second Ministerial Conference was held in

on 30 November 2006 which confirmed the broader remit of the INOGATE programme to cover a range of energy issues in the Partner Countries and their cooperation in these issues with the EU. One objective of the Baku Initiative is to enhance integration of the energy markets of participating countries with the EU

, so as to create transparent energy markets, capable of attracting investment and enhancing security of energy supply. The partner countries agreed objectives to harmonise legal and technical standards so as to create a functioning integrated energy market in accordance with EU and international legal and regulatory frameworks; to increase the safety and security of energy supplies by extending and modernising existing infrastructure, substituting outdated power generation infrastructures with

environmentally friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...

systems; the development of new infrastructures and implementation of modern monitoring systems; improvement of energy supply and demand management through the integration of efficient and sustainable energy systems; and promotion of the financing of commercially and environmentally viable energy projects of common interest. A 'road-map' towards achievement of these and allied objectives was adopted at the Astana Ministerial Conference.

Structure and activities

The coordinating body of INOGATE was the Technical Secretariat based in Kyiv, Ukraine, with regional offices in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

, Georgia, and in

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

, Uzbekistan. The INOGATE Secretariat had an important role in ensuring the visibility, the coordination, coherence and sustainability of the programme as a whole as well as the individual projects. The Baku Initiative is implemented through the four working groups, each of which contains members from all partner countries: * Harmonisation of Legal, Regulatory and Institutional framework for market liberalisation * Enhancing Safety and Security of Energy Transportation Networks * Sustainable development * Investment Attraction and Project Facilitation A number of specific projects, financed by the ENPI, were associated with the INOGATE programme, and ar
listed at the INOGATE webportal
These projects included initiatives to improve safety and security of oil and gas transit structures, to develop coordinated national energy policies in Central Asia, and to support market integration and sustainable energy initiatives in partner countries. INOGATE was closely involved with the development of the Eastern European Regional Centre for Hydrocarbon Metrology in

Boyarka Boyarka or Boiarka ( uk, Боярка) is a city in Fastiv Raion of Kyiv Oblast ( region) of Ukraine, about 20 km SW from Kyiv. It hosts the administration of Boiarka urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: . The popula ...

, Ukraine, which 'provides state-of-the-art calibration services for gas transfer within the region and to other countries'. This should form an important element in the development of a regional energy market operating to Western European standards.se
Boyarka
informative brochure The INOGATE programme had an ongoing schedule of conferences and publications. It
webportal
contained regularly updated information and news on energy developments in partner countries and relevant EU initiatives and policies. The programme supported reduction in Partner Countries, their dependency on fossil fuels and imports, improvement of the security of their energy supply, and climate change mitigation.

Projects

An 'INOGATE Project' was any EU-funded regional energy project supporting energy policy cooperation in the INOGATE Partner countries in the topics of the four INOGATE areas of cooperation. Since the inception of the Programme in 1996, approximately 61 INOGATE projects have been implemented. In the period 2010-2015 there were three active INOGATE projects: * INOGATE Technical Secretariat (ITS) and integrated programme in support of the Baku Initiative and the Eastern Partnership energy objectives; Duration: 02/2012-01/2015, Total value: €16.6 million * Energy Saving Initiative in the Building Sector in the Eastern European and Central Asian Countries; Duration: 01/2010 - 12/2013, Total value: €4.5 million * Sustainable energy programme for Central Asia: renewable energy sources and energy efficiency; Duration: 01/2013-12/2015, Total value: €4 million. In addition to the INOGATE projects, there was also the following INOGATE-related project (not directly promoted as an INOGATE project but using INOGATE funding and encouraging the same objectives): * Supporting Participation of Eastern European and Central Asian Cities in the 'Covenant of Mayors' (INOGATE-related project); Duration: 09/2011 - 09/2013, Total value: €2.15 million Each of the individual projects was responsible for ensuring visibility of their actions. However the ITS project promoted their results in the wider framework of the INOGATE Programme.

External links

INOGATE web site

European Commission DG Transport and Energy
Ministerial Declaration on Enhanced energy co-operation between the EU, the Littoral States of the Black and Caspian Seas and their neighbouring countries
30 November 2006, Astana International energy organizations Energy in Azerbaijan Energy in Armenia Energy in Belarus Energy in Georgia (country) Energy in Kazakhstan Energy in Kyrgyzstan Energy in Moldova Energy in Tajikistan Energy in Turkey Energy in Turkmenistan Energy in Ukraine Energy in Uzbekistan European Union and third organisations