Who we are

Team

As of 2020, the Secretariat has 37 staff members holding 19 nationalities. In addition, the Secretariat regularly offers internship and secondment opportunities.The recruitment of the Secretariat's staff follows the approved establishment plan of the Energy Community Ministerial Council.
In the performance of its duties, the Secretariat must be impartial and not seek or receive instructions from any Party to the Treaty.

Director

Since 1 December 2012, the director of the Secretariat is Mr Janez Kopač. Mr Kopač is the second Energy Community director, following Mr Slavtcho Neykov (2007-2012). 
Pursuant to Article 75 of the Treaty, the director of the Energy Community Secretariat is responsible for the implementation of the budget. The director also selects and appoints the staff on the basis of the approved establishment plan of the Energy Community.

Milestones

• 1 February 2006 marked the commencement of the Secretariat’s operational activities.
• The official inauguration of the Secretariat followed on 26 June 2006, in the presence of former European Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Andris Piebalgs, and Austrian Minister for Economy, Mr. Martin Bartenstein.
• The Agreement between the Republic of Austria and the Energy Community regarding the seat of the Secretariat of the Energy Community entered into force in August 2007. With the Agreement, the host country granted the Secretariat the privileges and immunities of an international organisation. 

Project phase

Prior to the Treaty’s entry into force, an interim Energy Community Secretariat was established as a non-profit association under Austrian law on 1 April 2005. Working on a project basis, the association derived its financing from European Commission CARDS Programme. Its activities were regulated on the grounds of a grant contract between the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labour and the European Commission.

During this pioneer phase, the association wrote a series of quarterly progress reports and country reports, supported the Parties to draft the first road maps and took care of organisation of the institutional events. 

Environmental responsibility

The Energy Community Secretariat is committed to do its utmost to support the Contracting Parties in the transition of their energy sectors to a sustainable path, in line with numerous environmental and climate acts as adopted by the Ministerial Council.

At the same time, the Secretariat’s supporting role does not come without an environmental impact, including a substantial carbon footprint. For instance,

• In 2019, the Secretariat organized 98 official meetings, which were attended by approximately 2.700 participants.
• The flights by the meeting participants and the Secretariat’s staff amount to more than one million kilometers a year.

These considerations resulted in a decision to engage in introducing the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) at the Secretariat. The EMAS Regulation, which is the EU’s flagship measure in environmental management, requires organizations to assess, manage and continuously improve their environmental performance.

The Secretariat expects to obtain the EMAS certification in the course of 2021

Environmental Policy

As one of the first steps in the EMAS process, the Secretariat published its Environmental Policy in June 2020. This paper underlines the Secretariat’s commitments to the environment and specifies the organization's overall intentions and direction in terms of environmental performance.