The Energy Community Secretariat announced on Monday (13 November) that it has assessed Serbia’s draft National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), which Serbia submitted for the Secretariat’s review in late June this year.
The Secretariat has concluded that the draft NECP is structured in line with the EU’s Governance Regulation requirements and includes a comprehensive list of current and planned measures.
At the same time, Serbia “is invited” to bring its 2030 targets regarding renewables and energy efficiency in line with the Energy Community’s 2030 targets and step up its efforts in the area of Just Transition in order to “facilitate a smooth, inclusive and fair transition.”
“Integrate fair and just transition aspects better both on the level of objectives and in policies and measures, notably by providing more details on social, employment and skills impacts of planned objectives, and policies and measures,” the assessment read. “Prioritise the implementation and monitoring of Just Transition and the related Action Plan via an active planning for the transition of the regions and communities impacted by the coal phase-out, as well as incorporate more just transition policies and measures in the NECP itself.”
The Secretariat has also recommended that Serbia increase the dedicated funding for measures related to the Just Transition from two million euros, which is less than 0.2 per cent of the investment related to the modernisation of coal mines.
The Energy Community Contracting Parties are obliged to develop draft NECPs setting out objectives in line with the Energy Community 2030 targets and policies and measures in the five dimensions of the Energy Union (energy efficiency, renewables, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, internal energy market and research and innovation).
The Contracting Parties are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine.
