Federal Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry Vedran Lakić and Republika Srpska Minister of Energy and Mining Petar Đokić met in Banja Luka, where they discussed current issues related to mutual cooperation, and defined directions for joint action in the coming period.
They discussed development projects in the field of energy at the level of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska and the continuation of the implementation of the started activities in the relevant areas of the two ministries. The ministers expressed the need to, through continuous communication and coordination of activities, harmonize and offer implementable solutions for some of the open issues.
It was jointly stated that in both entities there is an extremely high interest in the construction of solar power plants and wind power plants, especially in the area of Herzegovina, and that it is therefore necessary to work additionally on the development of power transmission capacities in BiH. In this sense, the ministers emphasized the necessity of more direct action and cooperation of both relevant ministries with Elektroprenos BiH, in such a way that they are more operationally and constantly involved in activities related to this issue.
The meeting also discussed the fulfillment of obligations from the Third Energy Package, primarily the law on the electricity and natural gas regulator, transmission and electricity market in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was emphasized that it is in the interest of both entities to restart the work on the mentioned law and continue through the work of the working group, with the aim of its final adoption.
The participants of the meeting also discussed the realization of gas infrastructure construction projects, pointing out that it is very important, especially from the point of view of diversification of supply sources, and that the BiH Council of Ministers is expected to continue activities with the aim of signing interstate agreements between BiH and Serbia and BiH and Croatia, which concern the pipeline construction projects towards these neighboring countries.
The ministers pointed out that the cooperation between the entities is extremely important as a prerequisite for overall economic growth and development and the successful implementation of many activities that BiH undertook as a signatory to the Energy Community Treaty and other international documents.
It was concluded that in the previous period a great step forward and progress was made in terms of harmonizing domestic legislation with the European one and that this path should be continued, in accordance with the constitutional competences, it was announced from the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry, it was announced from the Office of the Government of FBiH for public relations, Fena reports.
