 This activity had previously been carried out by several companies, and the creation of Gassco formed part of an extensive reorganisation of Norway’s oil and gas sector in 2001.It complied with the requirements stipulated in the European Union’s gas market directive for organising transport operations in this sector.The political considerations which underpinned the creation of Gassco found expression in proposition no 36 (2000–01) to the Storting (parliament) and the subsequent recommendation from the Storting’s standing committee on the environment.