Serbian Energy Law Association (UPES) was organized on 8th and 9th December 2021its 4th Annual Conference titled „Energy prices: What is going on?“, with around 100 participants.

Opening Session started with words of Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Mining and Energy Mr. Zoran Ilić.

Mr. Vicente Lopez Ibor-Maior, President of the European Federation of Energy Law Associations (EFELA) made opening remarks followed by remarks by Mrs. Branislava Lepotic Kovacevic, President of the UPES.

Djordje Popovic, managing director of Resalta Serbia Moderated the First day of the Conference. Key Speaker was Mr. Dirk Buschle Deputy Director and Legal Counsel of the Energy Community Secretariat. Speakers were Mr. Peter Vajda, Senior environmental expert in the Energy Community Secretariat, Mr. Dejan Mijovic, Energy Economist, Montenegro and Mrs. Mira Todorovic Symeonides, Partner in Rokas Law firm, Athens. Finally Mr. Milos Kuzman Upstream Legal Advisor in NIS jsc, Novi Sad concluded with lessons learned.

During the first day of UPES’s annual conference, there were many fruitful discussions on energy prices, environment, and climate change provided by experts from Serbia and abroad. Speakers have highlighted the importance of UPES’s work in tackling current challenges in the energy sector. During the conference, speakers spoke about the challenges of the energy industry in general and the challenges within the Energy Community in particular. Moreover, the decarbonization of the Energy Community countries with a particular focus on large combustion plants and related EU legislation was discussed. The first day of the conference ended with an in-depth presentation on how energy communities are functioning in Greece and what are the opportunities in Serbia.

Iva Đinđić Ćosić, Head expert associate for international legal cooperation and market affairs at EMS moderated the second day of the conference. Speakers during the second day were Mrs. Rozeta Karova, Senior Energy Lawyer at the Energy Community Secretariat, Mr. Branko Milićević, Secretary of the Group of Experts on Gas at the UN Economic Commission for Europe, Mirza Kušljugić, RESET, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. John Roberts, Energy Economics Consultant, UK. Finally, Mr. Aleksandar Kovačević, Consultant in the field of energy economics at Castle European, UK, concluded with lessons learned.

During the second day of UPES’s annual conference, legal experts, economists, and engineers from Serbia and abroad discussed energy prices, supply, and demand. Speakers addressed the energy crisis through different approaches. During the conference, speakers touched upon the three objectives of the energy trilemma. In addition, speakers talked about the situation with natural gas supply in Europe, and the electricity supply and demand in the Western Balkans region, including the region’s potential for renewable energy use. Finally, the conference ended with the conclusion that continuing these discussions is the only way for us to find solutions and answer the question “what is going on?”.

Branislava Lepotić Kovačević, concluded that the Conference provided answers to the titled question, but also opened new questions that will be answered during future events organized by UPES and events in the organization of UPES in cooperation with other organizations. Only dialogue in such a complex current environment can give the best answers.

Agenda of the Conference is here.

The Conference’s presentations are available here.

Materials of the conference and detail Report about the Conference is going to be upload soon at the UPES web site, part Conferences.