During a meeting held in Algiers, which was also attended by the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Algeria, Austria, Germany, Italy and Tunisia adopted a new joint declaration in support of the SoutH2 Corridor, a new infrastructure project designed to transport green hydrogen produced in North Africa to Europe.
According to the AGI news agency, in the document the five countries reaffirmed the strategic importance of SoutH2 in strengthening energy cooperation and integration between the two shores of the Mediterranean, renewing their commitment to maintaining coordinated political support for the development of the corridor.
Among the measures taken was the establishment of a secretariat dedicated to providing technical support for SoutH2, with assistance from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
The new body will be responsible for fostering dialogue between the partner countries and supporting the technical and operational development of the project.
The ministers also reviewed progress on the ‘Algeria-Europe Alliance for Green Hydrogen” (ALTEH2A), an integrated multilateral project designed to support the development of green hydrogen production in Algeria and its future transport to the European market via SoutH2.
The declaration adopted in Algiers reads as follows: the one signed in Rome in January 2025 and marks a further step towards defining the governance framework and technical tools needed to translate political support into industrial and infrastructure projects.
“Italy recognises hydrogen as one of the key solutions for achieving decarbonisation targets,” said Minister Pichetto, according to the AGI report. “I particularly welcome the fact that this meeting is taking place in Algeria for the first time,” added the MASE minister, emphasising the “increasingly central” role of North African countries in the new energy landscape.
