Macedonia adopts new energy law, transposes Third Energy Package

The Macedonian parliament has adopted a new energy law transposing the Third Energy Package in a move rectifying breaches of the Energy Community Treaty.

The new law restores the basic human right to choose the electricity supplier, and meets the conditions for opening the electricity market, the Macedonian government said in a statement.

According to the Energy Community Secretariat, the new energy law was prepared in close cooperation with the Secretariat and it provides a legal basis for unbundling of the electricity and gas transmission system operators, upgrades the tasks of the Energy Regulatory Commission and allows for closer market integration of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and its neighbors.

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was the only Contracting Party where small businesses and all household customers were deprived of their right to purchase electricity directly from the supplier of their choice, the Energy Community’s press release reads, adding that the new law corrects this.

The first case was opened by the Secretariat over Macedonia’s failure to transpose and implement provisions for the opening of the electricity market. The deadline for opening the market for all consumers in accordance with the Treaty establishing the Energy Community was January 1, 2015.

The second case refers to Macedonia’s non-compliance with the Energy Community Treaty, specifically the transposition and implementation of the Third Energy Package by January 2015.

Following the adoption of the law the Secretariat formally closed the two cases, the Secretariat said in the statement.