IENE Participated in the 5th Energy Efficiency Coordination Group Meeting Organised by the Energy Community in Vienna on June 30th and July 1st

The Energy Community Secretariat, ECS, organized in Vienna, the 5^th Energy Efficiency Coordination Group meeting, from 30/6 to 1/7/2014, in order to discuss with Contracting Parties, (CPs) the development of energy efficiency projects and programmes in their countries.

In the meeting, representatives from Energy Efficiency Centers or state entities from Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania, FYROM, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine participated as well as representatives from financing institutions such as KfW, UNDP, GFA, GIZ, EBRD and European and international scientific institutions including JRC, DecisionWare, Seven and IENE. Following an invitation by ECS, IENE participated in the meeting as an observer,with its partner and member of its Executive Committee Mr. Costas Theofylaktos.

After adopting the agenda, set by ECS, and the conclusions of the previous EECG meeting, a long discussion was held between the parties on the respective National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAP) their progress, the existing barriers, the need of appropriate legislation and financial programmes for their successful implementation. During the meeting, it became clear that there are differences in the progress, as some contracting parties are still in the 1^st NEEAP(like Moldova) while others have moved to the completion of the 2^nd one (like Kosovo, Montenegro etc.)

Presentations on the new EED 2012/27/EU were given by the Austrian Energy Agency and the Energy Saving Trust, UK, as two best case examples of its implementation. Also, the role of the public sector in connection with EED, the participation of energy utilities and the energy tariff reform, metering and billing were analyzed in depth in a discussion with all participants. Then, the role of ESCOs and the development of their markets in CPs was analyzed with a presentation from DG JRC.

Finally, many different IFIs, as EBRD, KfW and UNDP in Serbia and Bosnia/Herzegovina, presented their ongoing activities, especially in the area of energy efficiency projects in West Balkans. Concluding, ECs, CRs, IFIS and other participants renewed their meeting for the next EECG scheduled for November 11,2014.