Energy reform in Macedonia in deadlock, renewables lag behind 2020 target - Energy Community

Energy reform remains at a stalemate in Macedonia and the country's binding target of 28% share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption remains far to reach, the Energy Community has said.

The legal framework for the liberalisation of the electricity market in Macedonia has not improved over the reporting period, the Secretariat of the Vienna-based organization said in a monitoring report on Tuesday.

The unbundling requirements for transmission system operators have not been met and the country's transmission network operator MEPSO is only legally unbundled.

The Energy Community higlighted that the adoption of a draft energy law, which will introduce a competitive process for granting support to renewable energy producers, is the first and foremost priority for the country.

According to the Energy Community, the adopted National Renewable Energy Action Plan has to be revised in line with the commitment for 28% share of renewable energy in gross electricity consumption in 2020.

The Energy Community also said that despite the significant work invested in drafting secondary legislation for boosting energy efficiency, there has been little genuine progress in terms of improving compliance over the reporting period, as Macedonia suffers from a lack of political will to implement the energy efficiency acquis.

In conclusion, the community assessed that Macedonia, alongside with Bosnia and Herzegovina, seems to have dropped out of the race or even walks backwards in the transposing of the Third Energy Package.

"This is an issue of serious concern for the Energy Community and unfortunately, a general indicator for the lack of capability and/or willingness in those countries to follow European rules," the report said.

The Energy Community was established by an international law treaty in October 2005. As of July 1, 2013, the parties to the treaty are the European Union and Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine. The key aim of the organization is to extend the EU internal energy market to Southeast Europe and beyond on the basis of a legally binding framework.

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