Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia a step away from full membership of Energy Charter

Belgrade, 29 April 2009

Minister of Energy and Mining Petar Skundric stressed that Serbia is a step away from becoming a full member of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), adding that its energy sector will be integrated into European trends.

Petar Skundric

Skundric told a press conference at the Serbian government that this precedes EU entry, adding that for Serbia signing the ECT means it will become part of the integrated energy market in Europe and Eurasia, as well as that it will join the World Trade Organisation more easily.

The Minister announced that Serbia will duly harmonise domestic energy-related legal acts with the norms which are the basis for the ECT, stressing that there are not many discrepancies as it is.

He recalled that Serbia is already a full member of the Energy Community and thus to a great part integrated in European energy trends, adding that several months ago it became the founder of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

ECT Secretary General André Mernier said that the first step towards Serbia’s membership in ECT has been made, namely the invitation from member countries has been sent to Serbia to join the treaty.

He said the next step is to draft a compatibility study for the national plan with provisions from the energy treaty, after which the treaty will be ratified at parliament.

Mernier said that Serbia’s accession to the treaty is important both for Serbia and other ECT members because now cooperation over energy will be geographically complete, adding that the construction of new environmentally friendly power plants in Serbia is a step greatly appreciated within the Energy Community.

He said the ECT is a legally binding document combining the energy policies of both Europe and Asia, with signatories from 54 countries world wide, including Australia, Turkey, EU countries and the majority of Balkan countries.

ECT is a multilateral agreement including trade, investment protection, transit rules, energy efficiency and ways to resolve disputes. It came into force in 1998 and has been ratified by 46 countries, such as all EU member states, former Soviet Union countries and Central and Eastern European countries, as well as Asian and Pacific countries.

The Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy attended the 19th ECT conference, held on November 28, 2008 in Athens, where it initiated of Serbia’s accession process.

Today Serbia is an observer at the ECT conference, wishing to become a member as soon as possible.

André Mernier

Skundric stated that the agreement between Srbijagas and Gazprom over the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline may be signed soon.

The Minister explained that, during the Bulgarian Prime Minister’s visit to Moscow, all open issues between Bulgaria and Russia concerning the energy agreement have been resolved.

He stressed that Russian and Bulgarian Prime Ministers Vladimir Putin and Sergei Stanishev yesterday announced that the two countries will sign an agreement on the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline in the next two weeks.

Minister Skundric said that last week’s energy summit in Sofia concluded that a meeting between the countries to participate in the realisation of the project should be held as soon as possible.