The Energy Community’s highest political decision-making body gathered in Prishtina at an annual session known as an informal ministerial council. The region is moving closer to coupling with the EU single electricity market.
Hosted by the Ministry of Economy of Kosovo*, a meeting in Prishtina under the Energy Community framework brought together ministers of energy. It set the stage for the prioritization of initiatives shaping the region’s trajectory towards accelerated energy integration with the European Union, the international organization’s secretariat said in a readout.
The Ministerial Council of the Energy Community, its highest political decision-making body, holds sessions known as informal ministerial councils once a year.
Rizvanolli: Regional challenges call for regional solutions
This time, the discussions took on added significance against the backdrop of Europe’s ongoing response to recent energy shocks, with security of supply and competitiveness emerging as central themes driving EU – Energy Community integration efforts, the update reads.
“The challenges before us are regional, and so must be the solutions,” Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli pointed out. Kosovo* has taken over the presidency of the Energy Community committed to supporting decisions that increase security of supply, accelerating integration with the EU and protecting the affordability of energy for citizens and businesses, she added.
“We are advancing one of the union’s most strategic priorities: EU enlargement – not only a political objective, but a geostrategic investment in Europe’s peace, stability and security. And closely linked to this, accelerating the integration of the Energy Community contracting parties in the EU’s single energy market, bringing our partners closer to the European Union,” said Head of Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER) Yolanda Garcia Mezquita.
Market coupling with EU could bolster Energy Community’s weight in Europe
With legislative convergence in both gas and electricity sectors increasingly within reach, the ministers covered policy and regulatory issues that will define the region’s role as an integrated EU energy partner, according to the secretariat. In electricity, as many contracting parties approach completion of transposition of the Electricity Integration Package (EIP), the region is moving closer to coupling with the EU single electricity market, it noted.
The region benefits from competitive electricity prices and renewables potential for pushing electrification in sectors like heating and transportation
Getting ahead of that milestone through a coordinated regional electrification effort could significantly enhance the Energy Community’s weight within Europe’s energy order, the secretariat said. The conditions for such an effort are, in many respects, already in place – the region benefits from comparatively competitive electricity prices and substantial renewables potential, both of which make a compelling case for pushing electrification in sectors like heating and transportation, it underscored.
“Electrification potential is our pre-accession advantage – and we should use it. By moving collectively on heating and transport now, we will build economies grounded in access to homegrown and affordable energy,” said Energy Community Secretariat Director Artur Lorkowski.
Pushing in parallel for EU gas cross-border network codes
In the gas sector, as EU member states will be required to apply cross-border network codes at all borders from August 5, a parallel push toward mutual application by Energy Community contracting parties is helping create the conditions for more predictable and diversified gas flows.
“Such regulatory alignment will be particularly important as preparations advance for the potential adaptation of REPowerEU within the Energy Community framework. Against this backdrop, the secretariat has commissioned a study assessing the implications of a Russian gas phaseout in the region, which suggests this need not come at the cost of either security of supply or affordability,” the secretariat added.
