Energy Community facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Energy Community
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Secretariat	Vienna, Austria
Member States	European Union Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Kosovo Moldova Montenegro North Macedonia Serbia Ukraine Georgia Armenia (observer) Norway (observer) Turkey (observer)
Leaders

• Presidency-in-Office 2024	Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Vice Presidency-in-Office	European Commission
• Director of Secretariat	Artur Lorkowski

Establishment

• signing of the Treaty	1 Oct 2005
• Treaty entry into force	1 July 2006

Website www.energy-community.org

The Energy Community is an international organization that brings together the European Union (EU) and several countries outside the EU. Its main goal is to create a bigger, shared energy market across Southeast and Eastern Europe. This means making sure energy rules are similar, so electricity and gas can flow easily between countries.

Members of the Energy Community agree to follow important EU energy laws. They also work to create good rules for their energy markets. This helps make energy more open and fair for everyone.

What the Energy Community Does
Who is Part of the Energy Community?
How the Energy Community is Organized
History of the Energy Community
- Athens Memorandum: The First Steps
- Energy Community Treaty: Making it Official
Addressing Concerns
See also

What the Energy Community Does

The Energy Community wants to build a large energy market that covers all of Europe. It does this by spreading the EU's energy laws to countries in Southeast and Eastern Europe. These laws cover energy, protecting the environment, and fair competition.

Over time, the rules have grown to include more topics. These now include making sure there's enough energy, using energy wisely, and promoting renewable energy. They also cover oil, collecting energy facts, and dealing with climate change.

Since 2011, the Energy Community has followed the EU's "Third Energy Package." This package helps make energy markets more open. In 2021, the group adopted new laws from the EU's "Clean energy for all Europeans package." These laws help set goals for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reducing pollution by 2030.

Who is Part of the Energy Community?

The Energy Community has different types of members: Parties, Observers, and Participants.

Parties: Countries That Signed the Treaty

The Parties are the main members who signed the Energy Community Treaty. They include the European Union and nine other countries:

Moldova and Ukraine first joined as observers. They later became full members after making changes to their energy laws. Moldova joined in 2010, and Ukraine joined in 2011. Georgia applied in 2014 and became a full member in 2017.

Observers: Countries That Watch and Learn

Other nearby countries can become observers. This means they can watch how the Energy Community works. They can also learn about its rules and goals. The current observers are:

Participants: EU Countries That Join In

Any EU country can become a participant. This allows them to attend important meetings and join discussions. This helps them stay connected with the Energy Community's work. Currently, 19 EU countries are participants:

Austria
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Slovenia
Slovakia
Sweden

Some countries, like Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania, were once Parties. When they joined the European Union, they changed their status to Participants.

How the Energy Community is Organized

The Energy Community has several important groups that help it run smoothly. These groups make decisions and manage daily activities.

Ministerial Council: The Main Decision-Makers

The Ministerial Council is the most important group in the Energy Community. It makes all the big decisions and sets the rules. Each Party sends a representative, usually their energy minister. The European Union sends two representatives.

The Council meets once a year. Each Party takes turns leading the Council for 12 months.

Permanent High Level Group: Keeping Things Moving

This group includes senior officials from each Party and the European Commission. They make sure that the decisions made by the ministers are put into action. They also handle follow-up tasks from political meetings.

Energy Community Regulatory Board: Expert Advice

The Regulatory Board is made up of experts from national energy agencies. They give advice to the Ministerial Council on rules and technical details. They can also help solve disagreements between energy regulators in different countries. The Board meets in Athens, Greece.

Fora: Bringing Everyone Together

The Fora are groups that bring together different people involved in energy. This includes businesses, regulators, and even consumers. They discuss energy issues and give advice to the Permanent High Level Group.

There are different Fora for different energy topics. For example, there's an Electricity Forum, a Gas Forum, and an Oil Forum. There are also forums for social issues, legal matters, and solving disputes.

Secretariat: Daily Operations

The Secretariat manages the daily work of the Energy Community. It helps the Parties put the energy rules into practice. The Secretariat also helps countries write new laws and sends experts to help when needed.

Every year, the Secretariat writes a report. This report checks if each Party is following the rules of the Treaty. If a Party isn't following the rules, the Secretariat can start a special process to address it.

The director of the Secretariat is Artur Lorkowski. He makes sure the Energy Community's money is spent correctly. The Secretariat has its office in Vienna, Austria.

The European Union's Role

The European Union plays a very important role. It is the permanent Vice-President of the Energy Community. The European Commission helps lead meetings and prepare agendas. The EU also provides most of the money for the Energy Community's budget.

History of the Energy Community

The idea for the Energy Community started with a plan to create a regional energy market in Southeast Europe. This was part of an effort to bring stability to the region. The Energy Community was designed to be similar to how the European Union itself started.

Athens Memorandum: The First Steps

The "Athens Memorandum" was an agreement signed in Athens, Greece, in 2002 and updated in 2003. It was proposed by the European Union. This agreement set out the ideas for developing a regional electricity market in Southeast Europe.

Many countries signed the memorandum, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey. In 2003, natural gas was added to the plan. The groups working on this plan became known as the "Athens Process." In 2004, they decided to call it the "Energy Community."

Energy Community Treaty: Making it Official

In 2004, the European Union began talks with countries in Southeast Europe to create a legal agreement. The Treaty establishing the Energy Community was signed in Athens on October 25, 2005. It officially started on July 1, 2006.

The Treaty was originally set to last for 10 years. However, in October 2013, the Ministerial Council decided to extend it for another 10 years, until 2026. This decision helped make sure the Energy Community could continue its important work.

Addressing Concerns

The Energy Community has faced some concerns, especially about social issues and the environment.

Some groups felt the Treaty didn't focus enough on social issues, like protecting workers or consumers. However, the Parties signed an agreement in 2007 to work on social issues. This agreement says that economic growth and social progress should go together. It also highlights the importance of involving workers and businesses in the reform process.

Environmental groups also raised concerns. They worried that the focus on energy might lead to more harmful coal and hydropower plants. To address this, the Energy Community has set up groups to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy. Since 2009, it has put EU energy efficiency laws into practice. In 2012, it adopted binding goals for renewable energy by 2020. The Energy Community also has a task force focused on environmental issues.