Prishtina, 18 October 2012 – The Minister of Economic Development, Besim Beqaj, said today in Budva, Montenegro that the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo stand ready to fulfill all their obligations deriving from the Energy Community Treaty and that they commit to cooperation and establishment of the common electricity market in the region.

In this meeting, Kosovo participated as an independent and sovereign state and without UNMIK’s presence.

Speaking at the Tenth Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community, Minister Beqaj emphasized that pursuant to its developmental objectives and constitutional and legal obligations, Kosovo has undertaken a number of concrete activities towards structural changes in the energy sphere.

Minister Beqaj underscored the role of the Energy Regulator’s Office in further processes this sector will undergo, mentioning its role pertaining to electricity prices, investments in this sphere and other regulatory matters.

MED Head also spoke on investments in this sphere, making note of investments to be in the development of hydro power plants in the Decan region, where an Austrian company invested considerable resources for the construction of a HPP with overall capacities amounting to 23 MW. Kosovo is dedicated to conclude the decommissioning of TPP Kosovo A by 2017, as initially promised, said Minister Beqaj.

He informed the present attendants that in 2013-2014 Kosovo will transpose in its national laws the provisions from the third package of Energy Community Directives, whereas their implementation is envisaged to commence in 2015.

Minister Beqaj also asked the Council of Ministers of the Energy Community to approve his request for the acceleration of procedures regarding the conclusion of the Energy Community Treaty on the dispute between KOSTT and KEK on one side and Elektroprenos and EPS from Serbia on the other.

The meeting was also used to approve respective regulations and directives on statistics, which, among other, will provide for greater transparency for the prices of electricity and natural gas, as well as prices of renewable energy sources.

The directive on renewable energy sources will establish the necessary legal infrastructure for the development of RES sector, and will provide the determinations on goals to be achieved by 2020.

At the proposal of Minister Beqaj, the Council of Ministers approved agreed on greater involvement of civil society stakeholders in the implementation of the Energy Strategy of the Energy Community, by providing their opinions and suggestions regarding the impact of such projects in environmental protection and conservation.

Minister Beqaj expressed Kosovo’s support to the election of Mr. Janez Kopac from Slovenia in the post of the Director of the Energy Community Secretariat.