NEUM, April 27 (FENA) - Bosnia and Herzegovina should, as soon as possible, adopt a framework state strategy for the improvement and development of the energy sector, as this will open the door for significant financial support from the European Union (EU). In addition, according to the World Bank estimates, BiH needs to invest about 3 billion euros over the next two decades in order to modernize the energy sector and bring it to the EU level.
These are the key messages stated by German Ambassador to BiH Christiane Hohmann, Deputy Head of Mission of the United States Embassy to BiH Paul Horowitz, UK Ambassador to BiH Edward Ferguson and Head of Political and Economic Affairs Section of the EU Delegation to BiH Jan Snaidauf.
German Ambassador Hohmann in her address to the media stressed the importance of these kinds of conferences, not only because of discussions on technical issues, but also because of political processes in the energy sector.
“We can have many technical projects, but we need to have a political framework that supports them. Therefore, today's focus is on adopting a national energy strategy that will kick-start BiH, make it progress in all areas and bring it closer to the EU,” Ms. Hohmann said.
She noted that so far much had been achieved through energy projects in recent years, but that there is still much work to be done in this respect, and she said that the EU would continue to support these activities.
Paul Horowitz, Deputy Head of Mission of the US Embassy to BiH, emphasized the significance of the Neum Summit for the energy sector, but also for BiH's economy as a whole, especially since this year the summit participants are not only representatives of the energy sector, but also politicians who decide on its progress.
“I hope that today's recommendations will reach the party platforms, but also post-election action programs,” Mr. Horowitz said.
He pointed to the fact that energy was extremely important for the economy of each country, noting that it is important for BiH that it is export-oriented when it comes to the energy sector, but that there are still many potentials for the improvement of this sector.
“The energy sector is certainly a pillar of further development,” said the Deputy Head of the Mission of the US Embassy, adding that energy security would bring benefits to all citizens of BiH and that it can be a true motive for further development of the economy in BiH.
The journalists were today also addressed by the Ambassador of Great Britain to BiH Ferguson, who pointed out that the energy sector was crucial for the economy and social development of any country.
“Whether it's supply security, user satisfaction or environmental issues, it is a very complex sector and requires a strategically well-planned framework to make good use of it,” the British Ambassador said.
As he said, the good news is that the British government had already worked with the entity authorities, who had adopted new, modernized energy strategies at the entity level, while the bad news is that this process took much more time than it was planned, so BiH does not have a national energy strategy.
“This must be the focus of today's summit and the message that we need to send to BiH politicians, although there is a lot of work to be done to improve and develop the energy sector in BiH," Mr. Ferguson said, noting that BiH has comparative advantages over many countries in terms of energy potentials.
The Head of the Political and Economic Section at the EU Delegation to BiH, Jan Snaidauf, said that the EU had set the basic features of the energy system, that is, the sustainability of the energy sector, which is its highest priority. He also stressed that the EU's energy policy is based on energy efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, which are the topics of the summit.
“These are the goals that the energy sector in BiH, as part of the European family, needs to set for itself,” he underlined.
He recalled that BiH was a part of the energy community and that for years there have been serious problems in terms of fulfilling all the obligations it has undertaken to join this community. Therefore, Mr. Snaidauf believes, there will have to be changes in the legislation that BiH will derive from these problems in order to become a full member of the energy community, which respects all obligations and agreements.
He noted that there was a need for reform in the energy sector, as well as political will and continuous work in this direction.
“These changes will not only bring BiH to the equalization with the requirements of the EU, which they should join in the future, but will bring a number of benefits to the state and its economy, such as job creation and development in general,” the Head of the Political and Economic Section at the EU Delegation concluded.
(FENA)
Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /var/www/vhosts/fena.ba/httpdocs/post-new.php on line 215