Hungary signed an action plan on the “North-South energy corridor” and a declaration of intent on its implementation in Brussels on Wednesday, the National Development Ministry told MTI.

The action plan contains projects that link Hungary’s electricity, gas and oil supply networks with those of other countries in the region.

Hungary has already declared a planned gas network interconnector with Slovakia a priority, and it is in talks on connecting its electricity network with Slovakia and Slovenia, the ministry said. The action plan envisions a Central and Eastern European “pipeline ring” that could expand sources of oil supply, it added.

Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are members of a workgroup set up to determine the most important development directives necessary to make the CEE region a member of the EU’s unified energy market in 2014 and create new opportunities for diversifying sources of energy as well as delivery routes, boosting security of supply. Croatia has observer status in the workgroup and Austrian and German experts are also involved in some parts of the project.