CAN Europe: Western Balkans took little to no action in preparing NECPs

The deadline to submit draft integrated national energy and climate plans (NECPs) to the Energy Community Secretariat for review is expiring in less than a month. But the contracting parties in the Western Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, took little to no action, according to an analysis published by nongovernmental organization Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe.

The original target date for the submission of the ten-year plans – one of the crucial practical tools for a country to show how it intends to achieve its 2030 energy and climate targets – was delayed in 2021 to allow the adoption of climate and energy targets. They were set on both the community and national levels in December 2022.

Back in 2021, the obligation to adopt NECPs was postponed until 2024 at the latest while the deadline for delivering drafts is June 30, 2023, CAN Europe noted.

According to the NGO, the plans should be a stepping stone for the region to reach climate neutrality by mid-century, which all Western Balkan leaders vowed to achieve in the Sofia Declaration on November 10, 2020.

Albania and North Macedonia remain the only two Western Balkan countries that have adopted their NECPs

CAN Europe warned that despite the repetitive political announcements that work is underway and that NECPs would be developed and publicly consulted in a timely manner, Albania and North Macedonia remain the only two Western Balkan countries that adopted their NECPs.

As they have submitted draft plans and received recommendations for improvement, they are not legally obliged to resubmit them by the end of June this year.

However it is important to prepare revised draft NECPs, implement the suggestions and provide a credible and comprehensive set of policies and measures which would reflect the achievement of the new climate and energy goals, CAN Europe said.

This was not the case with the initial drafts as they were prepared before the targets were adopted.

BiH has made some progress

The other four countries began the process two years ago and reached various preparation stages but they made no significant progress since December, the document shows.

Apart from BiH, which in April presented some advancements in the process and the work that the government has done, none of the remaining countries started public discussions and consensus building on the way forward, CAN Europe stressed.

The NGO’s analysis contains detailed information on all six Energy Community contracting parties.