Western Balkans: more resilience for the energy sector

This Brief focuses on enhancing state resilience in the energy sector across the Western Balkans and shows how a transition to fully transparent and open energy markets is only possible through regulatory and legislative reform and the establishment of a financially attractive environment for investors.

Although none of the Western Balkan countries has experienced major energy supply disruptions or price shocks in recent years, there are significant risks associated with the ability of the respective governments to address challenges in the energy sector. The lack of fully transparent and open energy markets makes it difficult to adapt to changing market dynamics in the short term, and significant barriers remain to securing investment for future energy infrastructure in the long term.

Additionally, the Western Balkans face a daunting task in developing their national energy portfolios under existing commitments to transpose EU energy law and adhere to EU standards – especially when taking into consideration the involvement of numerous external actors in the region.