BiH adopts Law on Energy Efficiency

The House of Peoples of the Federal Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) adopted the Draft Law on Energy Efficiency which should set the conditions for improving energy efficiency in the country.

The adoption of the law in BiH has been on hold since 2013 and the country has been criticized for its failure to comply with the Treaty establishing the Energy Community. The new law, which was earlier adopted in the House of Representatives, shall incorporate the provisions of the three EU directives, the BiH media reported.

The law states that the improvement of energy efficiency in BiH as well as national objectives in terms of achieving efficient energy consumption until 2020 are set by the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP). Its integral part is the Energy Efficiency Action Plan in the Federation of BiH (EEAPF).

At the local level, the law provides a series of measures which should lead to efficient energy consumption. These measures include, among others, the renovation and maintenance of facilities used by local governments and public enterprises founded by local governments and the improvement of municipal services such as public lighting, water supply, waste management and transport.

Suppliers of electricity, thermal energy and natural gas are obliged to provide the end consumers with measuring devices which will gauge energy consumption based on actual data, while public authorities and public enterprises are obliged to perform power management in areas in which they operate. This may include training and education of employees as well as the establishment and implementation of energy efficiency criteria in the procurement of goods and services.

Law on Energy Efficiency will come into force after its publication in the Službene novine thus enabling BiH to fulfil one of the obligations as one of the countries which signed the Treaty establishing the Energy Community.

At the end of last year, the ambassadors of several Western countries and the EU have written to the institutions of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to express strong support for the adoption of the Law on Energy Efficiency. The adoption of the Law on Energy Efficiency is one of the obligations BiH has had to fulfil to be able to access the EU funds for projects in the energy sector.