Stability Pact: Press Releases

18 December 2007, Brussels (back to news list)

Energy Ministers identify Priority Projects for South Eastern Europe

Belgrade — The Ministerial Council of the Energy Community Treaty adopted today in Belgrade an indicative list of priority infrastructure projects, to promote more regionally oriented investment planning in this vital sector. The list will be updated yearly and presented at each Winter Ministerial Council meeting. The Ministers also reviewed the state of play in the implementation of the Treaty, which is proceeding well abeit with some delays on the implementation of the acquis.

Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact Erhard Busek stressed the need to speed up the decision making process, in order to have more projects created in the region. “It is necessary to open the national fragmented markets to transparent and unrestrained cross-border trading”, he stated. The Secretary General of the Regional Co-operation Council – the successor organisation to the Stability Pact, Hido Biscevic, stressed that energy is singled out as a priority of the RCC and a condition sine qua non for economic development. A major challenge for the region and for Europe is to diversify the energy supplies”, he stated.

The Ministerial Council thanked the current Presidency of the Energy Community – Serbia – and issued a welcome to the incoming Presidency – UNMIK/Kosovo, under UNSCR 1244. Georgia was welcomed as an observer to the Energy Community Treaty.

List of Priority Infrastructure Projects in the Energy Community [Link]

For further information, please contact Stability Pact's Spokesperson
Mr Georgi Gotev at the SP Secretariat in Brussels
(Tel: +32 2 401 87 25 or press@stabilitypact.org).
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PR2007/029

ANNEX 10

Ref.: MC/18/12/07-Annex10/30-11-2007

PRIORITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN THE ENERGY COMMUNITY

Explanatory Note

Background

Development of energy infrastructure is vital to the process of the Energy Community. More

advanced infrastructure implies increased competition, greater efficiency and higher level of

security of supplies at lower consumer prices. These effects would not halt at the borders of

Energy Community, but also result in enhanced security of supply at wider pan-European level.

At the 2nd Energy Community Ministerial Council meeting on 29 June 2007, the Ministerial

requested the Permanent High Level Group to draw up a list of priority infrastructure projects for

the Contracting Parties using the criteria established in the European Unions Trans-European

Networks – Energy (TEN-E) Programme. The Decision No.1364/2006/EC of the European

Parliament and of the Council (6 September 2006) laid down guidelines for trans-European energy

networks.

The Energy Community Secretariat has started working with the PHLG members from the

Contracting Parties and Observers in July 2007 to prepare the first indicative list of projects,

based on the proposals received from the Contracting Parties.

The first indicative list was finalised in September 2007 and included 154 project from all seven

contracting parties and one observer (Moldova). It was circulated for information to investors and

International Financial Institutions, as well as to other participants to the Energy Community

Investment Conference organised on 28 September 2007 in Athens. A shorter list of priority projects shall be prepared for the endorsement of the Ministerial Council in the 3rd Meeting on 18

December 2007, in Belgrade. The priority project list will be made from the first indicative list, by

selecting the projects that meet the criteria, as proposed bellow. While it is noted that the priority

list includes only projects that are totally or partially located on the territories of the Contracting

Parties, all the interconnection projects that would improve the supply of energy in the region are

important.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain the selection of priority projects from the comprehensive list

of projects proposed by the Contracting Parties, based on a number of criteria as described

bellow.

The draft priority project list includes only new infrastructure projects or new units in existing

generation power plants, and not rehabilitation projects. The list is organised in two parts:

Part A: includes projects that are more advanced, being either under implementation, or for which

financing is been identified. For these, the expectation is to start implementation between 2008

and 2010, and the scope of having these on the list is to monitor their progress, identify barriers

and solutions to remove these;

Part B: includes projects that are under preparation and their implementation is foreseen beyond

2010; for these projects, the financing is not yet identified and the preparation of documentation is

undergoing. The scope of having these projects listed is to follow the progress with financing and

preparation for implementation.

Explanatory Note_ Priority Infrastructure Projects in the EnC 1

Version of 30 November 2007