The Energy Community is an international organisation which brings together the European Union and its neighbours to create an integrated pan-European energy market. The organisation was founded by the Treaty establishing the Energy Community signed in October 2005 in Athens, Greece, in force since July 2006. The key objective of the Energy Community is to extend the EU internal energy market rules and principles to countries in South East Europe, the Black Sea region and beyond on the basis of a legally binding framework. The Energy Community has nine Contracting Parties - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine. The European Union is a Party to the Energy Community Treaty. Represented by the European Commission, it serves as a permanent Vice-President of the organisation. Any European Union Member State may obtain the status of a Participant. Armenia, Norway and Türkiye take part as Observers.