Director of the Energy Community Secretariat Janez Kopac said that the EnC has been supporting the contracting parties for over 15 years to align their energy, climate and environment legislation with the EU acquis and to also modernize their energy systems to the benefit of their citizens.
The Hungarian Ministry for Innovation and Technology, through its development agency of the Western Balkans Green Center (WBGC), and the Energy Community (EnC) Secretariat joined efforts to help the Western Balkans fight climate change and foster the region’s green transition.
Cooperation will take the form of knowledge sharing and exchange programs under the newly created Center of Excellence in Green Transition for the Western Balkans (CEGT) as part of the WBGC, to be based in Budapest, with additional external events and capacity support at the seat of the Secretariat in Vienna. All actions will be in line with the Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal and the Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.
State Secretary at the Ministry for Innovation and Technology Attila Steiner said that by concluding a memorandum of understanding in international partnership with a benchmark institution, Hungary enters a new phase of creating value in the context of regional cooperation while supporting knowledge sharing to boost green growth. The two-year rolling work plan of the CEGT, benefiting the Western Balkans, will capitalize on Hungary’s progress in developing and implementing policies and investments in order to support green economy transition in a neighboring region of strategic importance. To realize carbon neutrality, we need to mobilize private resources, therefore better regulation and constant improvement in the business environment is inevitable. The CEGT is well positioned to contribute to these efforts.
The signing of the memorandum of understanding testifies to the commitment that these two institutions have to support not only the legislative measures, but also the transitions to a clean energy future in the Western Balkans. Through joint cooperation, the two institutions will provide specific energy transition, climate change and environment protection knowhow and tools needed to overcome legal, regulatory as well as financial and social challenges standing in between our contracting parties and a clean energy future.
