MINISTER SAROVIC MET WITH MINISTER KOVACEVIC ZELJKO AND MINISTER TRHULJ ERDAL



September 21, 2012 – A meeting was held today at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH between Minister Sarovic and Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska, Kovacevic Zeljko and Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Trhulj Erdal.

The tree Ministers discussed a number of issues, particularly those relating to disputable details from IPA 2013 in the field of energy. They brought into accord their positions on all disputable issues and inconsistencies, and they agreed to inform both the European Integration Directorate (DEI) and the European Commission about that.

Minister Sarovic informed Minister Kovacevic and Minister Trhulj that the Law on the Amendments to the Law Establishing the Company for the Transmission of Electric Power in Bosnia and Herzegovina had been approved by all relevant institutions and that, after the deadline for public consultation has ended (September 25, 2012), it would be sent to the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina for further procedure.

Ministers agreed that it was necessary to state that this law was urgently adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.

Today's meeting was a good opportunity to talk about the upcoming meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Energy Community to be held in Budva and on the issues that would be on the agenda of that meeting.

The ministers also took a common stand on issues relating to energy strategy and gas regulations. To this end, a working group composed of three representatives from the three competent ministries should in the next month prepare information for the next ministerial meeting on all the agreed principles, as well as possibly different attitudes that the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina might have.

In addition to the above mentioned agreements, the three ministers agreed that the meetings of this type should be held every month in order to discuss current topics in the field of energy.

The ministers were later joined by Mr. Adnan Kreso, Director of BH Gas, and representatives of the management of the Alumina Plant “Birač” Zvornik, in order to find solutions so that BH Gas can continue with the supply of natural gas to “Birač” and to resolve debts that the factory has towards BH Gas.