Details
- Status
- Closed
- Publication date
- Deadline date
Description
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania remain the last Member States synchronised with networks of third countries, i.e. Russia (including Kaliningrad) and Belarus. Their synchronisation with the EU networks through Poland has been continuously an urgent priority for the EU with the Baltic synchronisation project being a PCI since 2013. The project has been continuously supported and followed by the Commission which has been intensively and actively facilitating its implementationunder the auspices of the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan High-Level Group (BEMIP) that it chairs. The project has received EU grants from the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy exceeding EUR 1.23 bn. In addition, Latvia and Lithuania has benefited from funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
The target date for the completion of the Baltic synchronisation (February 2025) is approaching with very important actions still to come. In addition, a series of infrastructure investments necessary for the Baltic States’ systems and the region will be completed in the period following the synchronisation and require close follow-up.
The Baltic Sea region is the region with one of the highest potential for renewable energy deployment and the production and supply of low-carbon and, particularly, renewable gases in the EU. A series of PCIs are already being developed in the region concerning all BEMIP Member States and more projects are being studied and planned.
Consequently, the Commission together with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania has established that there is a need to appoint a European Coordinator focusing on the Baltic synchronisation project providing the required critical expertise and close follow-up for the timely and orderly completion of the project and of the remaining investments. The European Coordinator dedicated full-time to the Baltic synchronisation project will ensure that the Commission can provide the necessary support to the Member States and project promoters concerned by implementing the tasks provided in Article 6 paragraph 2 of the TEN-E Regulation.
The Coordinator should closely monitor the last phase of implementation as well as the progress on the remaining infrastructure investments, provide advice and facilitate any measures that need to be taken by the stakeholders, and report back to the Commission and the Member States on the relevant progress. The Coordinator will take a proactive approach and contribute actively, alongside the European Commission and the Member States concerned, to the achievement of any tasks and duties required for the project including participation in working groups, meetings or workshops. The Coordinator will take into account the project coordination by way of BEMIP and the context of all the other activities followed-up in BEMIP. It will work closely with the relevant Member States, all relevant stakeholders, in particular, the project promoters and with the Commission services. The Coordinator has to draft an annual report which the Commission will forward to the European Parliament and the BEMIP electricity regional group. The work for the European Coordinator will be conducted in English.
Should the relevant Member States so agree, the mandate of the Coordinator might be extended by amending his or her mission statement to additional PCIs in the Baltic Sea region which might benefit in their development from such European coordination in view of reaching the potential of the region under the auspices of BEMIP.
Requirements
The European Coordinator candidates should demonstrate the following:
- EU nationality;
- relevant expertise of at least 10 years in the EU’s energy policy as regards the internal market and energy infrastructure (Experience with the Baltic synchronisation project itself will be considered valuable and taken into account in the assessment, but is not mandatory);
- a strong commitment towards the EU, to European integration and the European values as expressed in the Treaties and promotion of the general interests of the EU;
- fluency in English and experience in presenting in front of an audience;
- a strong motivation and commitment to the task including as regards time availability; and
- absence of a conflict of interest for which the candidate, if selected, will be required to sign a conflict of interest declaration. Conflict of interest shall be defined as any personal interest, in particular a family or financial interest, or any other conflict of interest, which would actually or potentially impair your independence in the course of your duties in the position of European Coordinator for the Baltic synchronisation and which may thus lead to any actual or potential conflict of interest relevant to this position.
Selection procedure
The Directorate-General for Energy wishes to open a CALL for EXPRESSION of INTEREST for the position of European Coordinator for the Baltic synchronisation PCI.
The selection and subsequent appointment of the European Coordinator is based on the provisions of Article 6 of the TEN-E Regulation. The European Coordinator shall be designated from the pool of interested candidates who apply to this CALL for EXPRESSION of INTEREST.
All submissions must be sent to the Directorate-General for Energy using the following mailbox: ENER-C4-PROJECTSec [dot] europa [dot] eu (ENER-C4-PROJECTS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).
The submissions must include the following: Curriculum vitae and letter of motivation.
The call for expression of interest will be open until 19 September 2024 00:00 am Central European Time). The submissions must be sent by that date, late submissions will not be accepted.
All expressions of interest submitted within the deadline will be reviewed with a view to choosing the most qualified candidate, based on the criteria announced in the call for expression of interest in line with the TEN-E regulation Article 6. After having identified the most suitable candidate, the Commission will inform in writing the Member States concerned about the name of the proposed Coordinator and of his or her mission statement, allowing them to comment. All applicants will be informed of the outcome of the selection process.
Once the agreement of the Member States concerned has been received, the Commission will inform the Council and European Parliament of its intention to appoint a European Coordinator for the Baltic synchronisation PCI. The European Coordinator will then be appointed by way of a Commission Decision accompanied by the terms of reference, detailing the duration of the mandate, the specific tasks and corresponding deadlines, and the methodology to be followed (Article 6(4) TEN-E Regulation). The Coordinator will be appointed for an initial mandate with a duration of one year. The European Commission reserves the right to withdraw the appointment of the selected Coordinator, at any moment, in case of inactivity, insufficient or low quality contribution to the Baltic synchronisation project or when the Coordinator no longer fulfils any of the above requirements.
More specific working rules of the Coordinator will be provided in a separate document (“Vademecum”), that the coordinator will be asked to sign subsequently.
Remuneration
During the performance of his or her mission, which is unpaid, the Coordinator will be granted a monthly flat-rate allowance of €3.000 to cover ongoing expenses (e.g. secretariat's expenses). The maximum annual mission budget is €15.000. Mission rules are set in the Vademecum and aligned with the Commission’s.