Gas technical framework for Southeast Europe

After the war in Yugoslavia during the 1990ies and the following breakup of the country, the gas associations, companies and institutes from the countries of Southeast Europe decided to proactively establish unique technical rules for the gas industry in their region, complying with the energy policies of the European Union. In 2002 they founded the common initiative “Harmonization of technical regulations for the gas sector in countries of Southeast Europe” (in the following text called “project”). Local experts, with specialist support of the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water – DVGW, have built a competent experts’ network working together in dedicated committees. In self-management and financed by themselves, to date more than 200 DVGW technical rules in the fields of gas infrastructure and gas utilization have been translated, adapted to local conditions and prepared for use. By now the implementation of technical rules is fostered by appropriate education, professional training, renewal of knowledge and keeping up with new technical rules. With the transfer of existing technical rules the involved parties take advantage of codes of practice already experienced over many years, elaborated and revised in respect of the developing European legal framework. Local implementation already shows a significant contribution to technical safety of the gas infrastructure, reliability of the gas system and to economic savings for the gas companies and public.