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The director of the European Union Energy Community Secretariat, Janez Kopac, met with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Zoran Mihajlovic, and the Minister of European Integration, Jadranka Joksimovic. In an interview with H1, Kopac says the worst situation is in the gas area, but he is encouraged by talks with officials in Belgrade.
“A couple of years ago, Serbia was the leading country in the field of energy reforms, but in the last four or five years it has lagged behind,” Kopac said, emphasizing that the worst situation is in the gas field.
“We have had an open infringement procedure for eight years, all due to the non-separation of providers and transmission system operators,” he noted and stressed that this is an obstacle to the opening of Chapter 15 in the negotiations on the accession of Serbia to the EU. .
The director of the Energy Community Secretariat pointed out that the Horgos gas interconnector between Serbia and Hungary is completely empty and should not be used.
As he said, there is “as much cheap gas in Europe as you want, and Srbijagas not.”
“We calculate that the average household (in Serbia) would spend 20 euros less on the gas bill in December, if there were competition that would have the same results as in neighboring countries if it were not for the monopoly of Srbijagas,” explained Kopac. .
He recalled that the law in Serbia does not allow the monopoly of Srbijagas since 2015, but that it is not respected.
He also said that everything depends on the first man from Srbijagas, Dusan Bajatovic, but that during today’s conversation, President Vucic promised that the gas problem would be solved this year.
“I am very happy that Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlović has converted. She is aware of all the problems and is quite ambitious, and we work very well together. So I am very optimistic that the reforms will finally start now,” Kopac said.
He also recalled that the Renewable Energy Law must be approved soon in the Serbian Assembly, which, according to him, will open the door to large investments in wind farms and solar plants.
Kopac also said that the decarbonization issue was raised in the meeting with Vucic, and that he would return to discuss that issue in late April.
