FBiH Government: Temporarily connect illegally constructed facilities to the distribution network

The FBiH Government has determined and sent to the FBiH Parliament under an urgent procedure the Proposal for the Law on Amendments to the Law on Electric Energy in FBiH. One of the novelties is that the distribution system operator can temporarily connect illegally constructed facilities to the distribution network.

The condition for this is an assurance from the administrative body responsible for issuing building permits as to whether the constructed facility is in an area where no planning documents have been adopted and whether it is in the process of legalization.

If the facility is built at an improper distance, without the consent of the electric power entity, it is obliged to request from the owner of the facility to undertake activities to relocate or technically modify the facility within a specified period and to inform the competent local government authority about it. If the owner fails to do so, the electric power entity is obliged to request the removal of the facility from the competent local government authority.

The reasons for the amendments and additions are contained in the judgment of the Constitutional Court of FBiH of 7.10.2015, which found that certain articles of the Law on Electric Energy violate the right to local self-government of the municipalities of Novo Sarajevo and Konjic.