Secretariat to support the Ukrainian energy regulator in ensuring compliance of public service obligations 

Under a memorandum of understanding signed today, the Energy Community Secretariat and the Ukrainian energy regulator, NEURC, agreed on a procedure defining the roles and responsibilities in cooperating on so-called public service obligations. Public service obligations are state interventions in the energy market and individual companies’ conduct on such markets. In order to be compliant with the Energy Community framework, they need to satisfy certain standards. Energy Community and Ukrainian legislation require that NEURC and the Secretariat cooperate in designing public service obligations.

The memorandum of understanding signed today sets out an efficient cooperation process on draft public service obligations in electricity and gas, aimed at ensuring compliance with Ukraine’s European commitments. It is to be seen in the context of the Secretariat’s increasing and systematizing its monitoring activities of the Ukrainian energy market governance, supporting its further reform and avoiding back-sliding. In this context, the memorandum will reinforce the Secretariat’s efforts to support the future reconstruction and integration process of Ukraine’s energy sector with the rest of Europe.