Lorkowski: Adoption of electricity law crucial for BiH integration into EU market

During a presentation on the implementation of obligations under the Energy Community Treaty before the Commission for Foreign and Trade Policy, Customs, Transport and Communications of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH PA) and the Commission for Transport and Communications of the House of Representatives, Lorkowski emphasized that BiH has a significant economic interest in this integration, given that it is among the largest electricity exporters to the EU among Western Balkan countries.

“The precondition for integration is the adoption of the electricity law, which has already been prepared by the state government and is in parliamentary procedure. I especially call on the House of Peoples to make a decision on its adoption,” Lorkowski said.

He added that the draft law was prepared in cooperation with the Energy Community Secretariat and the competent institutions in BiH, including the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH.

Speaking about the delay in adopting the law due to the issue of the location of the electricity exchange, namely whether it will be based in Mostar or Brčko, Lorkowski stressed that this is not relevant for the Energy Community.

“The location of the exchange is strictly an internal matter to be decided by domestic stakeholders. For us, the most important thing is that the law is adopted as soon as possible,” he said.

As a second key segment, he referred to the gas market situation, emphasizing the need to continue diversification of supply, particularly in the context of the European Union’s policy of reducing dependence on Russian gas.

“It is important to continue diversification projects, but also to ensure that domestic legislation is aligned with the EU acquis in order to establish a transparent gas market with equal conditions for all participants,” Lorkowski said.

In this context, he also referred to projects such as the Southern Interconnection, stressing that infrastructure must be fully aligned with European rules, including obligations under the so-called Third Gas Package.

“This includes, among other things, enabling third-party access for all market participants, except in cases of exemptions provided for by EU legislation,” he explained.

The third segment of the presentation related to climate and environmental policy, where Lorkowski assessed that BiH has made significant progress in preparing its National Energy and Climate Plan, but that its final adoption is still pending.

“This is a key document that should define the path towards the decarbonization of the economy. I call on the authorities to take a final decision on its adoption,” he said.

Summarizing the situation, Lorkowski noted that some progress has been made since last year and that certain reforms have been significantly improved, but that it is necessary to urgently finalize the remaining obligations.

“It is necessary to complete the ongoing reforms in order for the energy system of Bosnia and Herzegovina to remain on the path of integration with the European Union,” Lorkowski