Energy Community Sets Up Competition Network

On November 23 2012 a seminar on competition law enforcement in the energy sector held at the Energy Community Secretariat in Vienna saw the creation of the Energy Community Competition Network. Competition authorities from Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Armenia, as well as representatives of the Energy Community Secretariat, signed a joint declaration on the etablishment of the network at the Energy Community.

The Energy Community entered into force in 2006. It aims to extend the EU internal energy market to Southeast Europe and beyond, and enhance the overall security of supply. Member states have committed to liberalise their energy markets and implement key EU legal acts in the area of electricity, gas, environment and renewable energy.

The Energy Community Competition Network is intended to facilitate coherent and consistent application and enforcement of competition law to the electricity, gas and oil sectors within the contracting parties and regional markets. Its aim is to create a framework to assist in:

opening up markets; enhancing consumer welfare; and fostering investment in the region. The network will serve as a platform for promoting close cooperation and discussion, exchanging experience and developing best practices among the public institutions participating in the network, with respect to competition policy, legislation and enforcement of t EU competition law within...