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Serbia to become full member of Energy Community of South East Europe
Belgrade,
28 July 2004
Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Radomir Naumov said today that the new Law on Energy, adopted by the parliament on July 23, will reorganise Serbia’s energy sector and integrate it in the European community. He said that one of the most important activities arising from this law is Serbia’s full participation on the regional energy market in southeastern Europe, i.e., the Energy Community of South East Europe (ECSEE).
Naumov said that creating a regional market is a specific and very complex process, explaining that it a big opportunity for Serbia to integrate in Europe through the energy sector.
He said that in mid-July the Permanent High Level Group gathered senior energy ministry officials, including the representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy, who concluded that the signing of Athens memoranda of understanding (in 2002 and 2003) represented a big step toward creating a regional energy market. Also, it was agreed that the European Commission should initiate negotiations with the southeastern European countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Croatia and Turkey) on formally replacing the Athens memoranda into a legally binding agreement.
The Minister explained that the signing of that agreement would create a legal and institutional framework for a joint energy sector, which will give Serbia the opportunity to show all comparative investment advantages in the energy sector.
Naumov also said that the European Commission officially described the formation of the joint energy sector in the region would be the most important activity for stabilisation and association of the Western Balkans and its integration in the European Union. Apart from that, the European Commission will consider that the countries signatories of this agreement met all conditions to join the EU in terms of energy, Minister Naumov said.
A new round of talks on an agreement to create a Southeast European energy community starts in early September, and a meeting of parliamentarians, union representatives, and non-governmental organisations will be held in October to present the agreement. Naumov added that talks on the signing of the agreement should be finished in December this year.
According to Assistant Minister Aleksandar Vlajicic, the recently adopted Law on Energy calls for setting up new institutions such as an agency for energy, scheduled to start operations by end-October, and an agency for energy efficiency, as well as bodies to operate the energy market, transmission system, and natural gas storing.
The Law on Energy also envisions structural changes, while the Serbian government is in charge of organising the state enterprises EPS and NIS.
He said that in mid-July the Permanent High Level Group gathered senior energy ministry officials, including the representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy, who concluded that the signing of Athens memoranda of understanding (in 2002 and 2003) represented a big step toward creating a regional energy market. Also, it was agreed that the European Commission should initiate negotiations with the southeastern European countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Croatia and Turkey) on formally replacing the Athens memoranda into a legally binding agreement.
The Minister explained that the signing of that agreement would create a legal and institutional framework for a joint energy sector, which will give Serbia the opportunity to show all comparative investment advantages in the energy sector.
Naumov also said that the European Commission officially described the formation of the joint energy sector in the region would be the most important activity for stabilisation and association of the Western Balkans and its integration in the European Union. Apart from that, the European Commission will consider that the countries signatories of this agreement met all conditions to join the EU in terms of energy, Minister Naumov said.
A new round of talks on an agreement to create a Southeast European energy community starts in early September, and a meeting of parliamentarians, union representatives, and non-governmental organisations will be held in October to present the agreement. Naumov added that talks on the signing of the agreement should be finished in December this year.
According to Assistant Minister Aleksandar Vlajicic, the recently adopted Law on Energy calls for setting up new institutions such as an agency for energy, scheduled to start operations by end-October, and an agency for energy efficiency, as well as bodies to operate the energy market, transmission system, and natural gas storing.
The Law on Energy also envisions structural changes, while the Serbian government is in charge of organising the state enterprises EPS and NIS.
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