EBRD accepts Analytica’s comments to EBRD’s 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 regarding the EBRD’s country strategy for Macedonia where they gave their input to this document. After the consultation meeting, Analytica also sent to the EBRD a consolidated version of its comments in written form. Analytica’s consolidated comments to the EBRD’s strategy for Macedonia in full can be found here: http://www.analyticamk.org/images/stories/files/ebrd_strategy_for_macedonia.pdf.

Many comments which Analytica suggested to the EBRD regarding its country strategy for Macedonia were accepted. In fact, EBRD agreed with Analytica’s suggestion the Bank to support municipalities in the preparation and implementation of energy efficiency plans as part of the technical assistance provided within the scope of viable investment projects; furthermore it agreed with Analytica’s suggestion on the importance of stability of the feed-in-tariffs; it agreed also with Analytica’s suggestion that legal reforms are needed to foster the development of the renewable energy sector such as the legal framework regulating environmental, construction, and spatial and urban planning issues that Analytica underlined. Moreover the Bank stated that is open to consider participating in initiatives regarding the implementation of an extended gas transmission network subject to the viability of the project; as well as the EBRD recognised the importance of energy poverty that Analytica has highlighted.