COMMISSION HAILS RECONNECTION OF SOUTH-EAST EUROPE ELECTRICITY GRID TO THAT OF EUROPEAN UNION
Brussels, 10 November 2004 - Vice President Loyola de Palacio welcomed the news that the electricity transmission lines between South-east Europe and the Eu that were severed by the war in 1991 were now repaired and the technical interconnection of the systems had been undertaken. A ceremony to celebrate this event was held today at Ernestinovo, Croatia. This re-connection comes at a propitious moment as the Eu moves to re-integrate South-east Europe into the mainstream European energy markets. The aim is to create a single market established under the same regulatory rules from Sweden to Turkey and from Bulgaria to Portugal. The reconnection process now completed started on 10 October 2004 and was led by the Union for the Co-ordination of Transmission of Electricity (Ucte) which co-ordinates the interests of transmission system operators in 22 European countries. The resynchronisation of the two Ucte zones will have a Europe-wide positive impact on the electricity sector and beyond as it will physically integrate regional electricity markets in South-east Europe into the Eu Internal Electricity Markets. It is a first step in the creation of an integrated energy market between the two regions. The Commission will underpin this project with a treaty between the Eu (European Community) and the states (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Fyro Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro) and Unmi Kosovo (Unmik).
