The Administrative Board of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) held its first session this year on 19 March, 2014. The session was attended by Minister of State for Energy Affairs of the Ministry of National Development Pál Kovács, newly appointed alternate member of the board.

The Council of the European Union had decided on the appointment of two members and three alternate members to the Administrative Board of the Agency on 15 November 2013. Pursuant to that decision, the four-year mandate of Pál Kovács began on 28 January, 2014.

In addition to evaluating the work programme for the year 2014, participants approved the first evaluation report published by the European Commission on the activities of the Agency on 22 January, 2014.

Since the date of its official establishment on 3 March, 2011, the Agency has become, through its activities, an important player in European energy regulation, the Commission pointed out.  The annual work programmes and reports of the Agency have been useful means for the completion of the internal energy market and the development of transmission networks. The Commission encourages the Agency to continue acting as a mediator, thereby actively contributing to enhancing the efficiency of the internal energy market.

In the first two years of its operation, the Agency has worked on drafting framework guidelines targeting the EU level harmonisation of regulations on grid connection, cross-border trade and system operation. According to the new work programme for 2014, priority tasks of the Agency include the assessment of EU target models for the cross-border trade of electricity and gas.

The Ljubljana-based agency assists the implementation of the tasks of national energy regulatory authorities, coordinating, where necessary, their activities for the establishment of a competitive, sustainable, safe and transparent internal energy market.

(Ministry of National Development)