Important step for BiH's energy future and protection of the domestic economy

(Patria) - The Government of the Federation of BiH supported the agreed text of the Draft Law on the Regulator, Transmission and Electricity Market in Bosnia and Herzegovina at today's session. This represents a significant step forward in harmonising domestic regulations with EU standards, as well as in protecting the interests of the domestic economy.

“We have reasons to be satisfied, especially given the circumstances in which our country currently finds itself. This is an important step on the path towards exempting Bosnia and Herzegovina from paying the EU carbon tax. In this way, we will protect exporters from all parts of BiH to the EU, and the tax revenue will be able to be used for projects within our country, instead of going to the EU,” said Vedran Lakić, Federal Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry.

The law was agreed upon during a meeting with representatives of the Energy Community in Vienna, and all the objections previously raised by the FBiH Government were included in its text, including the request to remove references to natural gas from the law's title, as the law does not regulate that area.

“We managed to convince the negotiators to accept all the conditions set by the Federation of BiH, which will ensure a harmonised and sustainable framework for the electricity sector,” Minister Lakić emphasised.

It is particularly significant that with this law, BiH not only fulfills a key condition for exemption from the carbon tax (CBAM), but also gets an electricity exchange for the first time – with its seat in Mostar.

“After exhaustive and demanding negotiations, we managed to ensure that BiH is no longer the only country in the region without its own law or electricity exchange,” the minister added. The adoption of this law also opens the door for stronger integration with the European energy market, more secure supply for citizens, and greater investment in domestic energy infrastructure.