The 23rd Energy Community Electricity Forum, held in Athens on June 7, invited all stakeholders to finalize the establishment of organized day-ahead markets by mid-2019 as a prerequisite for market coupling, the Energy Community’s Secretariat said.

The Energy Community Electricity Forum, the biggest annual conference gathering electricity sector stakeholders from the Energy Community region and beyond, discussed the next steps needed to advance regional electricity wholesale market integration and the challenges ahead.

The forum underlined the need for a legally binding solution regarding the application of network codes on interconnections between EU Member States and Contracting Parties, highlighting the fact that the reform of the Energy Community Treaty is an indispensable prerequisite for the successful integration with neighboring EU markets.

“I have to commend the Contracting Parties on the progress made in the past year. However, pan-European market integration cannot be completed without legal certainty on the borders between Contracting Parties and EU Member States,” said the Secretariat’s Director Janez Kopač.

The forum also discussed new innovation-related challenges and recognized the growing importance of cybersecurity in the context of continuous smart grid development, the Energy Community’s Secretatiat said.