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Energy

Energy Community

Working to extend EU's energy market rules and principles to non-EU countries in the Balkans, the Black Sea region and beyond.

The Energy Community is an international organisation bringing together the EU and a number of non-EU neighbouring countries, to create an integrated regional energy market on the basis of a legally binding framework. 

The Energy Community Treaty

The Treaty establishing the Energy Community, signed in October 2005 in Athens and entering into force in July 2006, established as parties the EU (represented by the European Commission) and nine other contracting parties: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia (joined 2017), Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Moldova (joined 2010), Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine (joined 2011). Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia were contracting parties until becoming full members of the EU.

EU countries may obtain the status of participant, which gives them a right to be a member and intervene at the meetings, but no voting rights. Armenia, Norway and Türkiye take part as observers.

By adopting the treaty, the contracting parties made legally binding commitments to implement the EU acquis communautaire on energy, environment, competition and renewables, upon proposals by the Commission. The treaty acquis has been extended on several occasions to incorporate new directives and regulations, currently covering electricity, gas, oil, infrastructure, renewable energy, energy efficiency, competition and State aid, environment, statistics, climate and cybersecurity.

*In line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence

Organisational structure

The Energy Community Secretariat is responsible for supporting the day-to-day activities, monitoring the implementation of the treaty and preparing all institutional meetings. Besides the Secretariat, the treaty envisages the following institutions

  • the Ministerial Council
  • the Permanent High-Level Group
  • the Regulatory Board
  • the Electricity Forum in Athens and the Gas Forum in Slovenia

Additional fora and working groups have been created by Ministerial Council Decisions or convened based on the Secretariat's initiative.

Objectives

The Energy Community goals include to establish a path towards achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and decreasing dependence on fossil fuels in the shorter term. It also aims to create a stable regulatory and market framework, capable of attracting investment in power generation and energy networks to ensure a stable and continuous supply. It also aims at

  • achieving an integrated energy market that allows for cross-border trading, including supporting building new infrastructure when necessary and want to enhance security of supply by making it easier for countries to trade energy with others
  • improving the environmental situation in relation to energy, and related energy efficiency, fostering the use of renewable energy
  • boosting competition at regional level to exploit economies of scale

Electricity market integration

The EU Clean Energy for all Europeans package and the 2030 energy and climate targets for energy efficiency, renewable energy and green house gases emission reduction were adapted to the institutional framework of the Energy Community Treaty and the specific situation of each of the Contracting Parties and adopted by the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community in November 2021 and December 2022.

The incorporation of the electricity market legislation (which was part of the package) into the Energy Community is a historical milestone for the full integration of the contracting parties’ electricity markets into the EU’s internal market and the agreement on climate and energy targets puts the political agenda of the non-EU countries on the same track as the ones in the EU on the way towards decarbonisation and climate neutrality.

The deadline for the transposition of the electricity package is 31 December 2023 and the Commission has mobilised the strategic Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) to support the Western Balkan partners.

Security of gas supply

In response to the energy crisis, the EU and the Commission took steps to strengthen security of gas supply in the Energy Community.

On 1 October 2022, the Energy Community adopted the Gas Storage Regulation (EU/2022/1032), requiring its non-EU countries to fill up their underground gas storages to the same levels as in the EU and certify underground storage operators.

On 31 May 2022, the European Council invited the Western Balkans and the 3 associated Eastern Partners to join the EU Energy Platform. In early 2023, 3 out of 5 non-EU Energy Community contracting parties with gas markets had already expressed interest to participate, in line with Council Regulation 2022/2576.

Decarbonisation in the Energy Community

The Energy Community is working towards the energy transition of its parties, in line with the EU Green Deal objectives. The decarbonisation roadmap adopted in 2021 set a comprehensive list of legislative and policy actions for 2030 and beyond, with a key role and tasks ahead.

The countries are in the process of the adoption and implementation of their integrated national energy and climate plans (NECPs), due by June 2024, as well as of transposing into their national legislation EU Clean Energy Package. The new acquis communautaire created in the frame of EU Green Deal and REPowerEU will also be introduced into the contracting parties’ national legislation in the following years.

In 2020, the leaders of the Western Balkans partnership committed to align with the EU Climate Law and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. This commitment was reiterated in the Declaration on Energy Security and Energy Transition at the Berlin Summit in 2022.

The next step, outlined in the decarbonisation roadmap is to make progress on the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and carbon pricing.

Support to Ukraine

Since the begginingof the Russian invasion ofUkraine, the Energy Community Secretariat took up in cooperation with the Commission a key role in providing assistance to Ukraine by establishing the Ukraine Support Task Force and, upon request of Commissioner Simson, the setting up of the Ukraine Energy Support Fund.

Documents

10 NOVEMBER 2022
Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda of the Western Balkans
English
(227.44 KB - PDF)
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3 NOVEMBER 2022
Declaration on Energy Security and Energy Transition at the Berlin Summit in 2022
English
(515.39 KB - PDF)
Download