An agreement for the first gas pipeline connecting Poland and Lithuania has been signed.

The €558 million (£410m) Gas Interconnector Poland-Lithuania (GIPL) project is expected to “end the long lasting isolation of the Baltic Sea region”, according to the European Commission.

The 534km-long pipeline will be able to ship 2.4 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Poland to Lithuania and one billion cubic meters a year in the reverse direction.

It will also help Latvia and Estonia, which are currently dependent on Russia, diversify their energy supply, the Commission added.

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission said: “Today’s signature is about European solidarity. It is about leaders taking responsible decisions to increase our security and strengthen our resilience.

“Today we have done much more than bringing the energy isolation of the Baltic States to an end. We have brought the region further together. Today we have agreed on European infrastructure that will unite us, instead of dividing us.”

The project is expected to be completed by December 2019.