Energy Community’s Contract Parties note slow progress in EU power market integration, director says
On Wednesday (17 April), Energy Community Secretariat’s Director Artur Lorkowski participated in the Electricity Market Integration Forum 2024, which focused on the integration of the Energy Community’s Contracting Parties (CPs) into the EU internal electricity market.
In response to inquiries regarding the implementation progress of the Energy Community’s Electricity Integration Package and the prospect of achieving full market coupling by 2026, Director Lorkowski emphasised the significant delays in transposition across Contracting Parties. He noted that while some CPs have made advancements towards market coupling, challenges persist, including political hurdles impeding cooperation.
The Contracting Parties include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine.
The forum aimed to garner political and regulatory support for further integrating the CPs into the Internal Energy Market (IEM), highlighting the importance of implicit electricity market coupling.
Regarding the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Director Lorkowski emphasised its potential to accelerate market integration and decarbonisation efforts in the region. He added that CBAM presents both incentives and risks for market coupling, underscoring the need for a coordinated exemption framework to ensure market consistency and alignment with decarbonisation goals.
