summary of the case
| status | opened under Article 91 |
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| registered | upon complaint 14.03.2022 |
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Under Article 4(4) of Directive 2001/80/EC, large combustion plants may be exempted from compliance based on a written declaration by the operator not to operate the plant for more than 20,000 operational hours after 1 January 2018, or, in any case, later than 31 December 2023 (the so-called „opt-out” mechanism). The Ministerial Council approved the list of opted-out plants via Decision 2016/19/MC-EnC. The subject matter of this case is the non-compliance with these rules in the case of TPPs Tuzla 4 and Kakanj 5, two out of the three opted-out plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Secretariat preliminarily concluded that these two plants have failed to respect the opt-out rules under Article 4(4) of Directive 2001/80/EC. Even though they have reached the 20,000 operational hours limit in 2022, they neither complied with the stricter standards of the Industrial Emissions Directive, nor ceased their operations, as required by Energy Community law. Directive 2001/80/EC took effect in the Energy Community on 1 January 2018. The directive requires operators of large combustion plants to significantly reduce the emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter (dust) into the air. |
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procedural history
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19 June 2026: Reasoned Request
Reasoning
After carrying out a preliminary procedure, on 19 June 2026, the Secretariat submitted a Reasoned Request to the Ministerial Council in Case ECS-1/22, following the failure of Bosnia and Herzegovina to rectify the breach identified by the Secretariat.
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30 March 2026: Reasoned Opinion
Reasoning
As the information and the legal arguments provided by the Reply of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not dispel the concerns raised in the Opening Letter and the facts of the case have remained unchanged since the opening of the case, the Secretariat decided to submit a Reasoned Opinion.
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27 October 2022: Opening letter
Case
On 27 October 2022, the Secretariat sent an Opening Letter to Bosnia and Herzegovina to address its breach of the Large Combustion Plants Directive in the case of the two thermal power plants Tuzla 4 and Kakanj 5, which continue to operate despite the expiry of their limited lifetime derogation period (also known as „opt-out”). Following a written declaration not to operate a plant for more than 20,000 hours after 1 January 2018, opt-out was granted to selected installations by the Energy Community Ministerial Council. This is an implementation alternative to complying with the emission limits set by the Large Combustion Plants Directive.
Reasoning
In the Opening Letter, the Secretariat takes the view that following the expiry of the 20,000 hours, the plants concerned can only remain in operation if they meet the (stricter) standards of the Industrial Emissions Directive. This is however not the case for TPPs Tuzla 4 and Kakanj 5 which thus constitues a breach of Directive 2001/80/EC.
Procedure
By sending the Opening Letter, the Secretariat initiated a preliminary procedure, the purpose of which is to give Bosnia and Herzegovina the opportunity to react to the allegation of non-compliance with Energy Community law within two months and to enable the Secretariat to establish the full background of the case.
According to Articles 7 and 17 of the Rules of Procedure for Dispute Settlement, interested parties may be granted access to the case file and may submit written observations on the present case to the Secretariat during the preliminary procedure.