Energy Community

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Energy Community.      Member status     Observer status

The Energy Community (also referred as Energy Community of South East Europe (ECSEE) and European Energy Community) is a community established between the European Union (originally: European Community) and a number of third countries to extend the EU internal energy market to South East Europe and beyond. The Treaty establishing the Energy Community was signed in Athens, Greece, on 25 October 2005 and entered into force on 1 July 2006.

Contents

[edit] Aim

The Energy Community aims at establishing a common regulatory framework for energy markets in contracting parties by extending the acquis communautaire of the European Union to the territories of participating countries. It covers the relevant fields of energy, environment, and competition of the EU legislation. The Energy Community deals with electricity, natural gas, and petroleum products.

Timetable for implementation of the Treaty is the following:

The treaty builds upon the South-East Europe Regional Energy Market for electricity and natural gas formed in the framework of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe through the Athens Memorandum of November 2002 (covering electricity) and its revision in 2003 (covering natural gas).

The Treaty has been criticised by the trade unions (European Federation of Public Service Trade Unions EPSU) as it lacks a social dimension. The European Commission is now developing a Memorandum of Understanding on the social aspects in response.

Environmental organisations from South Eastern Europe critcised the process in December 2008 as they believed that the ECSEE contains insufficient safeguard mechanisms to ensure that the well-intentioned promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy is not drowned out by the promotion of large and often environmentally harmful coal and hydropower plants[1].

Signature of the Treaty has been approved by the European Parliament on 29 May 2006.

[edit] Participants and observers

Participants of the treaty are the signatories:

The membership of the following countries is conditional upon the implementation of the appropriate legislation[2]:

By terms of the treaty, any Member State of EU may be represented in the Ministerial Council, the Permanent High Level Group and the Regulatory Board and participate in the discussions in these bodies and the Fora. This privilege is used by

Any other neighbouring third country can participate if a reasoned request is approved by the Ministerial Council. Observers are:

[edit] Ratification

[edit] Institutions

The main institutions established or being established are:

  • Ministerial Council
  • Permanent High Level Group
  • Energy Community Regulatory Board (ECRB)
  • Fora
  • Secretariat

[edit] Secretariat

The Secretariat is provide administrative support to the other institutions of the Energy Community, reviewing the implementation of obligations by member countries, submitting yearly progress reports to the Ministerial Council, and reviewing and assisting the donors’ activity. The seat of the Secretariat is in Vienna.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://bankwatch.org/documents/seedw_ener_gy_futures.pdf
  2. ^ "PRESS RELEASE: Ukraine and Moldova to accede to the Energy Community upon amendments of their gas laws". Energy Community. 2009-12-18. http://www.energy-community.org/portal/page/portal/ENC_HOME/NEWS/News_Details?p_new_id=3021. Retrieved 2009-12-18. 
  3. ^ a b "Ministers put the Energy Community well on track for the next two years". Energy Community. 2007-12-19. http://www.energy-community.org/pls/portal/url/page/iseg_new/ISEG_110_News/ISEG_010_NewsDet?&p_new_id=621. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Community"