21st Energy Community Ministerial Council focuses on Treaty Extension, TEN-E Regulation, and carbon pricing 

In a session in Vienna, the 21^st Energy Community Ministerial Council convened under the leadership of Deputy Director General for the European Commission Directoral General for Energy (DG ENER), Mechthild Wörsdörfer. The meeting addressed several important issues and reached critical conclusions. The detailed conclusions of the 21^st Ministerial Council can be found here.

One of the standout decisions was the extension of the Energy Community Treaty's duration, underlining the forward-looking commitments made by member parties and the EU. Additionally, the Council adopted decisions to incorporate the TEN-E Regulation into the Energy Community framework, with an emphasis on fostering market integration, competitiveness, security of supply, and climate neutrality objectives.

The Council approved a Procedural Act designating Ukraine as the future host of the Gas Forum, while also commending Slovenia for successfully hosting the Renewable Investments Forum in November 2023.

The Secretariat presented the 2023 edition of the Implementation Report, which follows a new structure to better reflect the Energy Community’s main priorities and represents the state of play in implementing the Renewables energy Directive, the Energy efficiency Directive, and the Governance Regulation. The Ministerial Council called upon all Contracting Parties to accelerate the full and swift implementation of the acquis communautaire in all areas. Infringement procedures were announced to accelerate this process.

The Council reiterated its commitment to the 2021 Decarbonisation Roadmap, emphasizing the importance of energy and climate legislation and 2030 targets. Plans were laid out for updating the roadmap in 2024, with a commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and pursuing discussion on carbon ricing. Transparent emissions data and mutual recognition of Guarantees of Origin were discussed as crucial elements of future action.

The meeting concluded with the transition of leadership, welcoming Bosnia and Herzegovina as the next Presidency of the Energy Community and expressing gratitude to Albania for its leadership during its term.