The subject of Energy is one of the priority areas during the Romanian
Chairmanship-in-Office (CiO) of the Organization of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC).
While the EU economy is energy-intensive, European Community
energy resources are objectively limited. EU’s dependence
on external sources of energy is a situation which will last for the
foreseeable future, while the Black Sea region has a vast potential,
with regard to natural resources and market size.
Liberalization of energy markets in the Black Sea
region could create proper conditions for the improvement of business
environment, by opening up the markets to the participation of the
private sector and foreign direct investments.
Energy transactions and access to the international markets
would be stimulated by specific projects regarding investments in
electricity, natural gas and oil trans-border networks. Such a timely
needed evolution will have an important impact on the general development
of the economies of this region.
Energy trade and investments in the area are hampered, mainly,
by the following:
- the non-EU compliant energy trade
regulations;
- the lack of synchronous interconnection
of the power systems of IPS/UPS (e.g. the system used
by Russian Federation) with UCTE (the EU system).
Acknowledging the important role that regional cooperation plays
in the field of energy, the Romanian CiO of BSEC wants to organize
the “Black Sea Energy Conference”, on 3-5 April
2006, in Bucharest.
The organizers are: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce and
Industry of Romania, the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania.
Also, in the margins of the Conference will be organized a
number of workshops dedicated to energy regulatory systems, transmission
and affordability, by USAID Mission in Romania.
The main subject of the Conference is consistent with the
South East European Energy Community Treaty, and its objectives
are:
- evaluating the current situation;
- attracting investors in developing grounds for
regional energy exchanges;
- identifying challenges and opportunities;
- investment projects and their attractiveness;
- preparing a matrix of key steps toward developing
Black Sea regulatory harmonization;
- analyzing legal / regulatory limitations and
constraints for each country and developing a list of subjects for
the regional seminars / workshops to be convened in the future.
Romania would like to use the opportunity offered by the above mentioned
event to propose to countries in the region that are non-EU
members, a process of gradually bringing the energy trade regulations
in line with the EU ones, thus also fostering infrastructure
investment. It is obvious that there are several similarities with
the well-defined and successful Athens Process, but also significant
differences and specificities while the EU is not prepared to extend
in the region on the medium term.
The countries of the Black Sea region will get support in
this process from the EU, BSEC, Council of European Energy
Regulators (CEER), Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA),
International Energy Agency (IEA), World Bank, Energy Charter Secretariat,
European Transmission System Operators (ETSO), Union for the Coordination
of Transmission of Electricity (UCTE).
On the occasion of the Conference, we would like to launch
the Romanian initiative of Black Sea Energy Regulatory Roundtable
(BSERR). Hence, in the framework of the Energy Regulatory
Roundtable, the EU and non-EU states may put forward
ideas of regional interest using resources from the Black Sea region
and technical assistance from the EU. The Roundtable could be convened
on a regular basis without being institutionalized.
It can also use resources of Energy Regulators Regional Association
(ERRA), and be guided by Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER).
The Conference could provide the basis for the establishment
of working committees / groups for the purpose of this harmonization
and monitoring the progress achieved.
It will also offer the opportunity for expressing the interest
of participating countries to promote bilateral and multilateral investment
projects, sharing best practices and identifying topics of
interest for the future specialized seminars/meetings.
Targeted participants in the Conference will be
a series of interested ministers and governmental representatives,
experts from regulatory agencies, key energy companies from each country
(energy transmission operators, market operators, energy traders,
utility monopolies), energy equipment suppliers, groups of energy
consumers, donors, investors, professional associations, media.
Given the outstanding outcome of the South East European Energy
Community Treaty, which benefited from EU competent guidance and assistance,
we consider that by convincing/attracting the European Commission,
as well as the current Austrian EU Presidency, to support the launching
of the Black Sea Energy Regulatory Roundtable, we will insure
a sustainable follow-up of this initiative.
