The E.U. Friday signed a deal with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Egypt to boost natural gas imports from the Caspian Sea region and the Middle East.
The move is designed to reduce the E.U.'s reliance on Russian gas.
In January, for the second time since 2006, a pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine, a key transit country for E.U. gas supplies, led to shortages across the bloc.
Friday's accord, signed by the presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, and Egypt's minister of petroleum, declares the group's support for the planned Nabucco pipeline and a direct gas link across the Caspian Sea.