Established 20 years ago, the Energy Community Treaty has since become a vital platform for all partner countries. Over the past two decades, particularly the last five years starting in 2019, the Treaty has served as a roadmap for Albania. It has provided a forum to address key issues, especially regional cooperation. The Treaty has brought us closer to the European Union’s requirements, given us a voice to discuss challenges, and allowed us to take those issues directly to Brussels through the Energy Secretariat.
Many of these challenges have been addressed. Still, today, here in Athens, as we discuss the future of this treaty and the energy sector in the Western Balkans, we strongly believe that the Energy Secretariat’s role will remain equally important.
At a time when energy has become one of the most pressing geopolitical concerns and Europe is striving to preserve its energy capacities and create new renewable energy sources, Albania undoubtedly has much to contribute and achieve in support of other Western Balkan states.
Above all, the role of the Energy Secretariat is vital as we are currently engaged in negotiations. It is an irreplaceable role. Together, we are working to reform the regulatory frameworks that will bring us closer to European sector legislation and help us fulfill the requirements of the green agenda.
On this 20th anniversary, I sincerely hope that all Western Balkan countries find a smoother path toward energy security. At the same time, we must improve interconnectivity, a key issue on our agenda. Albania is already connected with North Macedonia and Greece, and we are actively working on an undersea interconnection with Italy.
On behalf of the Albanian government, I would like to thank the European Commission, the European Commissioner for Energy, and, of course, the Energy Secretariat for their hard work and ongoing support over the years.