Director of the Energy Community Secretariat from Vienna Janez Kopač warned today that BiH is falling behind in fulfilling international commitments in the energy sector, and he called the competent authorities in BiH to be more engaged in activities of regulating this area at the state level.
Kopač addressed BiH MPs in Sarajevo – members of the Committee on Transport and Communications of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Trade Policy, Customs, Transport and Communications of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly (BiH PA) and presented current activities of the Energy Community, with the focus on implementation of contractual commitments that BiH took over as member country of this Community.
”BiH is not only falling behind in fulfilling international commitments, but it is also falling behind other countries in the region in reforms concerning the energy sector,” emphasized Kopač, assessing the biggest problem in BiH is in the gas sector.
He warned that BiH still does not have a law on gas at the state level, and that taking over directives and standards of the European Union (EU) in area of energy requires establishment of an agency for oil reserves at the level of BiH, a regulator for electricity market (which already exists), and for gas sector, and adoption of an action plan for renewable energy sources and an action plan for energy efficiency at the level of BiH.
He assessed that in that regard it is necessary to commence appropriate reforms for the well-being of citizens of BiH.
He added that entities of BiH have relatively good action plans and that they need to be synthesized at the level of BiH, adding there is no political will to regulate those issues in a way that membership in the Energy Community implies, “which is ‘a foyer’ for the accession negotiations and which is opening a chapter on energy sector with the EU”.
Asked about different aspects and strategic directions within the energy sector, Kopač said that if this area is regulated at the state level of BiH, EU funds could be granted for those purposes, and he gave an example of possibility of receiving funds for construction of gas line from Bosanski Brod to Zenica.
Asked about benefits BiH would have if it would regulate gas at the state level, and stories about the so called “South Stream”, Director of the Energy Community Secretariat from Vienna said that any thought about the south stream is a complete illusion and self-deception.
According to him, adopting a regulative at the state level for area of gas would result in many advantages for consumers, including the so called “third party approach”, that is, establishing competition and introducing other suppliers, which would most likely result in reduction of gas price, given that BiH is paying the highest price of gas in Europe.
Kopač said that Russian “Gazprom”, which has relatively high prices, is not the only one responsible for that, but it is caused by paying the transport through Hungary.
President of the Transport and Communications Committee of the House of Representatives of BiH PA Momčilo Novaković stated it is a regular annual presentation of activities implemented within the Energy Community, reminding that BiH is a member and that Secretariat of this community is providing legal and technical assistance to BiH.
He added the presentation shows what has not been done and what BiH needs to do in the upcoming period, assessing there are areas in which our country has made progress, but he agreed with Kopač that progress has not been made in the gas sector.
”It is realistic to expect progress to be made in this area, if everything that BiH leaders signed is executed (Statement of the BiH Presidency),” said Novaković.
As BiH signed the Energy Community Agreement, it has the obligation to develop an appropriate framework and liberalize its energy markets by implementing the main EU laws on energy within a certain deadline.
Energy Community is the international organization which deals with energy policy.
Mission of the Energy Community is to expand internal energy market of the EU to South East Europe and beyond, based on a legally binding framework.
(Source: vijesti)
