“White Paper” on Chapters 15 and 27 presented at the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia

GIZ ORF-EE partner, the Center for Research and Policy Making, presented a White Paper, titled “Challenges and Tasks referring to Chapters 15 and 27 of EU Law” on 29 November, 2018 in the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia.

 The activity was conducted within the regional GIZ project Open Regional Fund for South-East Europe – Energy Efficiency (ORF-EE), supported by the German Government.

The White Paper was developed for Members of Parliament of Macedonia and South-East Europe in general, serving as a guideline document on energy efficiency, climate and sustainable urban mobility. It outlines expectations, obligations and specific obligations under Chapter 15 (Energy) and 27 (Environment) of the EU Law that are of particular importance for Macedonia. Through signposts and clear benchmarks precise tasks and obligations have been outlined in the document targeting effective harmonization with EU law and international agreements Macedonia has signed and ratified.

The meeting was held in the framework of the unofficial “Green Group” and was hosted by Liljana Zaturoska, Hari Lokvenec, Surya Rushidi and Maja Morachanin.

Welcome address was given by Jasna Sekulović, GIZ ORF-EE Project Manager. She used the opportunity to bring closer to participants of the meeting the concept and goal of the ORF-EE project focusing on competence building of parliamentarians on the subject of EE and climate in SEE. She once again highlighted the importance of the ORF-EE partner Network of Schools of Political Studies, such as Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) in Macedonia, and their link to the parliamentarians.

Zlatko Simonovski from CRPM spoke about the necessary steps to be taken by Macedonia in regards to tackling climate change, while Ilija Sazdovski, GIZ ORF-EE Country Coordinator in Macedonia spoke about energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, sector challenges and future steps, reflecting on the current situation in the energy sector in Macedonia.

Chapters 15 and 27

Chapter 15 speaks about EU energy policy objectives, which include the improvement of competitiveness, security of energy supplies and the protection of the environment. The EU energy acquis consists of rules and policies, especially referring to competition and state aids, the internal energy market, energy efficiency, nuclear energy and nuclear safety, and radiation protection.

On the other hand, Chapter 27 refers to EU environment policy, which aims to promote sustainable development and environmental protection for current and future generations. It is based on preventive action – the polluter pays principle, aiming to fight environmental damage at source, including shared responsibility and the integration of environmental protection into other EU policies. The acquis comprises over 200 major legal acts covering horizontal legislation, water and air quality, waste management, nature protection, industrial pollution control and risk management, chemicals and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), noise and forestry. Compliance with the acquis requires significant investment. A strong and well-equipped administration at national and local level is imperative for the application and enforcement of the environment acquis.