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In order to speed
up energy market liberalisation on the region,
in 2002 the European Commission put forward a
strategy outlining the principles and the
institutional necessities on which the
development of the regional electricity market
should be based. All South East European
countries agreed to adopt European Union
legislation, to set up a structure to monitor
the operation of the market and to open their
electricity market by 2005. These
commitments were included in a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on the Regional Electricity
Market in South East Europe (SEE), signed in
Athens in November 2002. To guide this process,
an appropriate structure has been put in place
known as the “Athens Process” including
the Athens Energy Regulation Forum (the Athens
Forum), a regular meeting of stakeholders in the
process.
In March 2003, it was decided to extend the
approach to gas and incorporate also
environmental requirements. A new Memorandum of
Understanding which takes into account both the
extension to gas and the new electricity
directives was signed in December 2003. The
intention now is to move towards a legally
binding framework to be agreed on by end-2004.
EURELECTRIC experts contributed
to the Athens Process by helping to draw up a
Code of Conduct for trading in the SEE region
and we intend to create an effective platform
for a set of concrete activities targeting the
region. This will include establishing en expert
SEE working group and organising a series of
regional workshops with the aim of increasing
energy companies’ understanding of the
requirements of the MoU.
The following countries are now
members of the South East Europe Regional Energy
Market (SEEREM): Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Turkey,
Serbia and Montenegro, Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy,
Slovenia. The representatives of the United
Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
(UNMIK) also participate in the Forum. Moldova
has an observer status.
For more information see the
European Commission website and the
Energy in South East Europe web-site |
