The Energy Community is an international organisation consisting of the EU, represented by the European Commission, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, the Republic of North Macedonia and Kosovo*. Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine are known as the contracting parties.
The Energy Community aims yo extend the EU's internal energy market to southeastern Europe and the Black Sea region. Specific goals include
- attracting investment in power generation and energy networks to ensure a stable and continuous supply
- creating an integrated energy market that allows for cross-border trading, including building new infrastructure when necessary
- enhancing security of supply by making it easier for countries to trade energy with other
- improving the environmental situation in relation to energy
- boosting competition at regional level to exploit economies of scale
The activities cover gas, electricity, security of supply, renewable energy, oil, energy efficiency, environment and competition and are 94.5% financed by the EU budget.
*In line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence
The Energy Community treaty
The Energy Community treaty was signed in 2006. Armenia, Norway, and Turkey act as observers to the treaty.
In 2016, during the tenth anniversary, the parties agreed to initiate an update to the treaty. This is currently in preparation.
Western Balkans electricity roadmap and sustainability charter
The six Western Balkan countries, and a number of EU countries, agreed on a roadmap for a regional electricity market for the Western Balkan 6 in July 2016. The document outlines steps to develop an electricity market through spot trading and links between markets in the region. The overall purpose is to create a regional electricity market.
The countries also endorsed a Western Balkan sustainability charter. In it, the six Western Balkan countries commit to efforts to increase the sustainability of national and regional energy markets as well as their generation and consumption patterns. Ongoing work to reform and integrate electricity markets will be stepped up at the same time.
Documents
- Western Balkans electricity roadmap
- Western Balkans sustainability charter
- Commission report on the Energy Community treaty [COM(2011)105]
- Council decision by the European Community of the Energy Community treaty [2006/500/EC]