Djedovic Handanovic: Serbia regional leader in energy sector reforms

VIENNA - Serbia will continue to work on carrying out reforms and merging its electricity market with that of the EU, as well as on bolstering its energy security, above all, by investing in renewables and boosting its transmission grid, Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said at an Energy Community Ministerial Council meeting in Vienna on Thursday.

Djedovic Handanovic said Serbia had confirmed its leadership in the region when it comes to the electricity and renewables sectors and was ahead of all countries in the region in terms of preparedness for market mergers.

"We have successfully transferred a package of EU reform regulations to our legislation, creating the conditions for our electricity market to merge with the EU electricity market in the near future," a statement from the Ministry of Mining and Energy quoted the minister as saying at the meeting.

She noted that the first regional electricity exchange in this part of Europe - comprised of Serbia, Slovenia and Hungary - had started operating this week and that the three countries had merged their electricity exchanges to make trading more efficient.

All that also increases the availability of electricity to the countries and to their economies and creates conditions for more favourable prices, Djedovic Handanovic added.