The Energy Community Secretariat launched on Tuesday dispute settlement procedures against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia for not meeting their National Emission Reduction Plans, NERP, ceilings for the reporting years 2018 and 2019, the Community said in a statement.

NERPs are an instrument to comply with the Large Combustion Plants Directive, and as such, they are to provide for emission reductions for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust for the group of plants covered by their scope.

In Serbia, the statement said, the compliance with the ceiling for sulphur dioxide presents the biggest challenge. At the same time, North Macedonia faces problems with ceilings for sulphur dioxide and dust. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo failed to meet the ceilings for all three pollutants.

By sending the Opening Letters, the Secretariat said it initiated a preliminary procedure to allow the countries to react to non-compliance with Energy Community law within two months and enable the Secretariat to establish the case’s entire background.

According to Articles 7 and 17 of the Rules of Procedure for Dispute Settlement, the countries may be granted access to the case file. They may submit written observations on the present case to the Secretariat during the preliminary procedure.