Prishtinë, 17 May 2012 – The energy sector plays a primary role for the economies of every country, whereas its role becomes vital for smaller countries in development and with complex social situations, such as Kosovo, stated the Minister of Economic Development Besim Beqaj.

The Minister made these comments during the second annual meeting of the Center for Global Dialogue and Cooperation, in which he represented the Republic of Kosovo. The main topic of this event was development challenges, with specific focus on tendencies of specific sectors.

During his stay in Vienna, Minister Beqaj met a number of state dignitaries in order to discuss on matters of common interest in the energy sphere.

Otherwise, during his elaboration on the topic ‘Energy sector trend in the context of social development,’ Beqaj said that in the recent years the Government of Kosovo has worked hard in order to advance considerably in implementing energy sector reforms.

“Due to maximum engagement of our institutions, in 2010 we’ve managed to compile and adopt a new legal framework for the energy sector in Kosovo.

Concretely, this legal framework encompasses three basic laws: Law on Energy, Law on Electricity and Law on Energy Regulator. These three laws are in full compliance with the EU approach and Acquis on energy and competition,” he emphasized.

The Head of MED said that Kosovo Energy Strategy is founded on three important pillars, which include: guaranteeing security of supply, self-sustainability of the electricity sector and environmental protection.

Minister Beqaj emphasized that the main concern of the Government of Kosovo remains the issue of ensuring and maintaining access of citizens to reliable, clean and affordable energy, in a manner that is compliant with the requirements of the Energy Community Treaty and with international standards.

Finally, the Minister underlined that in order for our energy market, legal infrastructure and regulator to be integrated, they should be well coordinated and developed. This would open the path for a more open and integrated regional energy market.