EU: COSTT and Elektrosever have reached agreement on the north current

The European Union announced that the Kosovo System, Transition and Electricity Market Operator (KOSTT) and the Serbian company Elektrosever from North Mitrovica have reached a technical agreement on the implementation of the Energy Agreement Guide on 18 October.

After signing the agreement, according to the EU, Elektrosever has handed over consumer data in the north.

The EU said the agreement was reached under its mediation, as Kosovo had launched the initial procedures in the agreement to lift the license of the Serbian company Elektrosever to operate in Kosovo.

“The EU was announced by Kosovo for launching the 15-day phase of consultations, according to Article 8 of the EU-brokered Guide. As a result of EU mediation, October 18th COSTT and Elektrosever have finalised and signed the technical standards agreement, according to Article 3 of the Guide. The same day, Elektroseveri has handed over consumer data, according to Article 2 of Guide”, an EU spokesman told Radio Europe.

The European bloc has called for the parties to implement without delay all obligations emerging from the Guide, as with the approach of the winter season, according to the EU, there is no time to lose.

“We continue to call on all relevant participants to engage constructively and implement their remaining obligations by Guide” without further delay, the EU spokesman sent out REL.

On 21 June, Kosovo and Serbia signed the Guide to Implementation of the Energy Agreement, which was reached in 2013 under the EU-brokered dialogue.

On 24 June, the Serbian company Elektrosever was licensed by the Kosovo Energy Regulatory Office (ZRRE), for the provision of the citizens of four Serb-run majority municipalities in northern Kosovo, as well as for their destiny.

But the Kosovo side had said this company had not met the conditions issued by the Guide, which would enable operation on the Kosovo market.

The EU had expressed concern about the slow pace of implementing the Energy Guide, which threatened to fully fail the deal.

The energy guide, but also reconciliation between Kosovo and Serbia so that citizens of the two states can travel only with ID without additional documents are cited as the biggest successes of the EU-brokered dialogue in the past two months.

Diplomatic sources told the REL that the recent visit to Kosovo and Serbia, EU envoy for dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, in addition to other topics, was intended to convince the parties to implement the Energy Agreement without delay.

Lajcak met with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on 13 October and four days later met with Serbia's President, Aleksandar Vuciq. After meeting with the Serbian leader, Lajcak said the energy issue requires an urgent “resolution”/REL/.