prijava
SARAJEVO, July 29 (FENA) - The energy sector is the pillar of the development of each country's economy, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, so it would be important to implement reforms in this area as quickly as possible, because it is estimated that the investment potential, only for energy efficiency projects, is around five billion KM, in order to meet the demands of the European Union, and therefore use the advantages of energy efficiency.
Interviewer: Hana Imamović
Deputy Director of USAID's Energy Investment Project (USAID EIA) Mak Kamenica in an interview with FENA spoke about the recently adopted recommendations from the aforementioned area in the state parliament that emerged from the conclusions of the Energy Summit in Neum.
The Summit brought together more than 430 experts from across BiH from various institutions, regulators, private companies and electric power companies who, during the three-day work on panels and technical workshops, expressed views on various topics in the field of the energy sector.
Kamenica pointed out that BiH has its Reform Agenda for the energy sector because, in 2006, it joined the Energy Community, which is the way in which EU energy directives should be transferred to the countries signatories to the Energy Community Treaty.
"It is important to strengthen the role of regulators and enable energy sector regulators to have competences over energy efficiency, as they by their actions, direct the way towards the implementation of measures. This is prescribed by European regulations and it is a practice in many countries that regulators monitor this area," explained Kamenica.
USAID EIA, in cooperation with the competent institutions in BiH, has developed a financial mechanism that would require the adoption of amendments to the Law on Energy Efficiency to be implemented and to create a sustainable mechanism for the implementation of energy efficiency measures in households.
"If the procedures for the construction of energy facilities are simplified, while respecting the European directives related to environmental protection, we will enable greater investments in the energy sector, new jobs and construction of new facilities, all of which is important for the economy of BiH," emphasized Kamenica.
Over the past four years, USAID EIA, together with the domestic institutions and GIZ, has worked on the analysis of all legal areas relevant for issuing permits for the construction of energy facilities and preparing recommendations for the elimination of shortcomings.
The working groups have completed their work and now it is now up to the institutions and decision makers to adopt recommendations and act in accordance with them.
Kamenica noted that the natural gas segment in BiH has been rather problematic because BiH made the least progress in that sector and this has to change if the country wants to join the European Union.
"We are encouraged by the fact that, after the Energy Summit, everything did not remain in empty speech, but the MPs have worked on and defined these recommendations and proposed them in the parliament, and now we have a document that gives guidelines for future action," stressed Kamenica.
(FENA) S. R.
