Treaty establishing the Energy Community
Following the Athens process which aimed to establish integrated regional energy market in South East Europe, in October 2005 the European Community and Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and UNMIK on behalf of Kosovo signed the Treaty establishing the Energy Community. Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Kingdom, were accorded the status of a Participant at the first Ministerial Council meeting in November 2006.
The Treaty requires the Contracting Parties to implement important parts of the acquis communautaire, provides for the creation of a single energy market and the mechanism for the operation of network markets. It also establishes the institutions of the Energy Community, as well as the decision making process. Following the ratification and notification process, the Treaty entered into force on 1 July 2006.
The institutional setting and the decision making process within the Energy Community involves the following organs:
(i) Ministerial Council
(ii) Permanent High Level Group
(iii) Fora
(iv) Secretariat
According to Article 2, the task of the Energy Community is to organise the relations between the Contracting Parties and to create a legal and economic framework in relation to Network Energy in order to:
(i) create a stable regulatory and market framework capable of attracting investment in gas networks, power generation, and transmission and distribution networks
(ii) create a single regulatory space for trade in Network Energy
(iii) enhance the security of supply of the single regulatory space
(iv) improve the environmental situation in relation to Network Energy and related energy efficiency, foster the use of renewable energy, and set out the conditions for energy trade in the single regulatory space and
(v) develop Network Energy market competition on a broader geographic scale and exploit economies of scale.
Ministry of Energy and Mining (MEM) is coordinating all activities in the framework of Kosovo participation in the Energy Community Treaty (EnCT). The Energy Working Group (EWG), established in Kosovo after the EnCT entered into force, is the country forum of stakeholder where progress of meeting the EnCT obligations is assessed and joint work is being performed. Members of the EWG include MEM, Energy Regulatory Office, KOSTT JSC, KEK JSC, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the Agency for European Integration, and UNMIK. Donors may observe the activities of the EWG.
Contact:
Tel: +381 (38) 200 215/34