The Vienna-based Energy Community is an international organization that aims to guide EU member states and their neighbors in forming an integrated pan-European energy market. The organization was set up by a founding agreement signed in October 2005 in Athens – Greece and entered into force in July 2006.
The main purpose of the Energy Community is to extend the internal rules and principles of the energy market to the countries of Southeast Europe and the Black Sea region on the basis of a legally binding agreement. The “parties” to the Energy Community Treaty are the EU Member States and nine “Parties”, including the Republic of North Macedonia.
The 11th Oil Forum was held in Belgrade on 8 and 9 October, highlighting the latest trends and challenges facing the oil sector. The Forum was opened by Mr Eric Sommeler of the European Community. Rafael Shane of JBC ENERGY discussed the relatively rapid recovery of oil production and the short-term price changes following the Saudi Arabia’s September 16, 2019, attack on production facilities.
Adrian Hassimi of the Secretariat of the European Community announced the progress made by the Contracting Parties in transposing the Oil Reserves Directives. The Republic of North Macedonia has made some progress and its reserves in September 2019 were 20% higher than in August 2018.
Peter Wajda, an environmental expert and a member of the European Community Secretariat, has analyzed the efforts of the Energy Community and at national level to achieve a climate-neutral energy sector, emphasizing that oil plays a key role in this process.
The contracting parties Montenegro and Albania shared their experiences in preparing to comply with the new Fuel Directive and Fuel Quality Directive. Vladimir Gagic from NIS Inc. Novi Sad informed on the modernization of the refinery and efforts to meet the high standards of environmental protection in line with the EU Directives, in terms of reducing sulfur content in petroleum products and CO2 emissions in the air.
The forum was closed with the closing remarks of Mr Eric Sommelier.
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