Energy Community Secretariat initiates infringement procedures against Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Serbia

The Energy Community Secretariat has launched dispute settlement procedures against Kosovo*, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

Serbia didn’t transpose the Connection Network Codes, North Macedonia failed to include the REMIT Regulation in its legal framework, and Kosovo* didn’t transpose the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (Case ECS-5/22), according to the case files. The secretariat cited the deadlines foreseen by the Energy Community acquis.

The secretariat said it has initiated dispute settlement procedures against three contracting parties by submitting reasoned requests to the Ministerial Council.

The secretariat seeks a decision from the Ministerial Council on the three contracting parties’ failure to comply with their obligations from the treaty

The requests are the third step in a three-step procedure. In the current stage, the secretariat seeks a decision from the Ministerial Council on a contracting party’s failure to comply with its obligation from the Energy Community Treaty.

As for Serbia, the government failed to adopt the Connection Network Codes in time. They set the requirements for connecting generators, high voltage direct current systems and direct current-connected power park modules to the grid, and include the Demand Connection Code. The Energy Community contracting parties were obliged to do so by July 12, 2018.

The REMIT Regulation sets the rules for ensuring the integrity and transparency of the wholesale energy market. It was to be transposed by the contracting parties by November 29, 2019, but North Macedonia didn’t fulfil the obligation.

Kosovo* has failed to adopt the latest set of amendments to the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive. The contracting parties were obliged to transpose them by January 1, 2019.