On 17 and 18 March 2017, was kept at Zagreb, Croatia, the General Committee on Economy, Infrastructure and Energy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP PA). Its final declaration, the SEECP PA reaffirmed the principles enshrined in the Charter of good neighbourly relations, stability, security and cooperation, signed in Bucharest in 2000.
SEECP PA has taken account of the need for increasing energy security of SEECP members following the presentation of the analytic report on Energy Dependency in the South East Europe, with rapporteur Prof. Muhamet Mustafa, Pristina. Then it approved a highly ambition package of proposes on support of coordinate measures to directly contribute to the further strength the cooperation – both bilateral, and in the context of the multilateral projects, while also indirectly contributing to initiatives and policies on the dimensions of energy security, solidarity and trust, a fully integrated internal energy market as well as decarbonisation of the economy.
The declaration adopted stressed the need for the increasing energy production and efficiency towards diversifying supplier countries and routes, as well as the need to complete building of missing infrastructure links to quickly respond to supply disruptions and re-direct energy across the EU to where it is needed. Then, underlining the need to strengthening energy market and solidarity mechanisms and protecting critical infrastructure, through more coordination, called parties and stakeholders to use existing storage facilities, develop reverse flows, conduct risk assessments, and put in place security of supply plans at regional and EU level.
Acknowledging the Strategy and Work Programme 2017-2019, ‘Changing with the Region’, of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat, welcomed the Commission proposal “Clean Energy for All Europeans” on 30 November 2016, and the European Commission’s initiative to launch a new study on a new gas market design in Europe. The General Committee on Economy, Infrastructure and Energy, convened in Zagreb on 17 March, 2017, do not negligee also to calls upon an end of the controversy dispute on operational and commercial relations between EMS and KOSTT and fulfilled the obligation taken under mediation of the Secretariat and EU institutions, to pave the way of a better regional integration of the South East European electricity markets.
In summary, what above proposed by the Kosovar delegation chair by the Professor Muhamet Mustafa, with the aim to reduce the dependency on energy imports, should succeed to make the energy markets work better and help the region to meet its targets as well as allowing new business models to emerge, and empower consumers. Our region is now on the brink of energy revolution, and we can only get this right if we work all together! Now is in the hand of all member states to make it a reality.