EU Domestic Natural Gas Drilling Expansion

planned

European Union energy ministers are expected to discuss the expansion of domestic natural gas drilling during an informal meeting in Cyprus on 13 May 2026. This discussion arises amid rising oil and gas prices and concerns over supply shortages. Several EU countries, including Romania, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Croatia, have ongoing or planned gas projects, such as Romania's extraction from the Black Sea since March 2025, Greece's offshore exploratory drilling in the Ionian Sea starting early 2027, Italy's consideration to revive offshore oil and gas exploration, Poland's Baltic Sea developments, and Croatia's US-backed agreement to expand gas pipelines and energy infrastructure across the Balkans. Cyprus is noted to hold the region's largest untapped gas reserves, estimated at around 324.1 billion cubic metres, roughly equivalent to the EU's average annual consumption. The EU aims to balance energy security with climate ambitions, considering renewable energy and the role of domestic gas production.