Growing geopolitical pressures put focus on North Macedonia’s EU energy integration momentum 

Addressing North Macedonia's Parliament on Wednesday, Energy Community Secretariat Director Artur Lorkowski outlined progress made in 2025 and priority energy reforms for 2026.

Building on progress made in 2025, North Macedonia must take swift action to implement legislative reforms enabling deeper EU gas and electricity market integration, Energy Community Secretariat Director Artur Lorkowski said in his address to Parliament on Wednesday. Accelerating these is critical for the stability and competitiveness of the Contracting Party's energy markets and the wider economy they support, particularly amid geopolitical uncertainties.

"The current geopolitical reality must be a wake-up call. The time to integrate is now,” Lorkowski said. “Only integrated energy markets can deliver the scale  required to protect citizens and businesses from future shocks.” 

In electricity, the Energy Community Contracting Party made significant progress last year toward further integrating its market with the EU, including advancing implementation of the Electricity Integration Package. Following the adoption of the remaining secondary legislation needed to complete this framework, the Energy Community Secretariat and the European Commission can begin the compliance verification process, which would unlock electricity market coupling ahead of EU accession.  Yet market integration with the EU will increasingly depend on credible progress in decarbonisation and climate commitments. In this sense, the transposition of the main renewables directive still needs to be urgently completed, in order to establish an EU-aligned framework governing the renewable energy market, which is growing in North Macedonia. In parallel, work is necessary to set standards on credible emissions monitoring and establish a carbon pricing system that will gradually align with EU climate rules. 

Further progress on gas market integration must also become a priority to strengthen energy security, Lorkowski emphasised. Under the EU’s Fourth Gas Package, Member States must implement gas network codes on all borders from August 2026, including those with Energy Community Contracting Parties. North Macedonia is advancing alignment with these rules, with the transmission system operator and regulator working to implement them by the end of the year.  

Finally, to strengthen the country’s ability to respond to potential supply disruptions further progress is required on security of supply and risk preparedness. In electricity, the first risk-preparedness plan must be adopted within one year of the Energy Law adopted in 2025. In the gas sector, Prevention Action Plans and Emergency Plans must also be finalised. Meanwhile, in oil security of supply, North Macedonia currently has compulsory oil reserves covering around 51 days of net imports, considerably below the 90-day obligation they should fulfil to align with EU standards. Current geopolitical pressures are a poignant reminder that energy security hinges on their timely establishment and maintenance.