Analytica commenting on the EBRD’s country strategy for Macedonia

Ana Stojilovska and Sonja Zuber attended the consultation meeting with the civil society organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on 13 March 2013 in Skopje in order to comment the EBRD’s country strategy for Macedonia. The objective of the workshop was to discuss about the strategy that will be providing the strategic direction of the Bank for a three-year period in the country. The EBRD’s purpose is to foster the transition towards open market-oriented economies and to promote private and entrepreneurial initiative in the Central and Eastern European countries committed to and applying the principles of multiparty democracy, pluralism and market economics.

The focus of the discussion was regarding the three strategic directions in the strategy: enhancing competitiveness and facilitating private investment in the corporate and municipal sectors; promoting energy efficiency and sustainable energy; and advancing regional integration. Present at the meeting were representatives from the civil society in Macedonia who gave various inputs and comments to country strategy.

Analytica gave comments to the strategy based on its research and project results. Regarding the first priority on enhancing competitiveness and facilitating private investment in the corporate and municipal sectors, Analytica’s comments were in direction of increasing the competitiveness of the gas and heat sector in the country as well as assisting the municipalities in implementing their energy programs and projects and in exploring their local possibilities to develop their own heat markets by means of gasification, construction of co-generation utilities and developing gas or heat infrastructure. Analytica also underlined the importance of mentioning and addressing the issue of energy poverty in the country. Analytica’s comments regarding the second priority of promoting energy efficiency and sustainable energy included contributing towards establishing the Energy Efficiency Fund, better promotion of the instrument Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) as well as improving the renewable energy investment climate. On the subject of the third priority of regional integration, Analytica suggested giving greater attention to completing and upgrading the vital trans-European networks in the territory of the country – Corridor VIII and Corridor X. Also, Analytica underlined the importance of investment in the Gas ring concept and in the construction of the distribution gas network. Last but not least, Analytica stressed that it is important to take into account the possible probe by the Energy Community Secretariat into the work of the Energy Regulatory Commission in Macedonia, due to the Regulatory Commission’s increased dependence of the Government.

The EBRD’s strategy for Macedonia can be accessed here: http://www.ebrd.com/pages/country/fyrmacedonia/comment.shtml After the deadline for comments, the EBRD will prepare a report summarizing the comments, which will be published on the Bank's website.