Prishtina, 03.07.2020 – Today, an agreement was signed at the Ministry of Economy and Environment (MEA) between the Kosovo Energy Efficiency Agency and the Kosovo Energy Efficiency Fund. The signing ceremony was attended by the Minister of Economy and Environment, Blerim Kuçi.
The Government of Kosovo views the energy efficiency as a fundamental component of strategic and economic planning, as well as for the development of Kosovo. Therefore, efforts have been made to contribute to achieving energy efficiency targets by providing incentives for citizens to save energy, opening markets, and encouraging the adoption of new businesses for energy efficiency technologies.
As a Signatory Party to the Energy Community Treaty and the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), Kosovo is obligated to transpose and implement the Acquis Communautaire related to Energy Efficiency. The Republic of Kosovo and its responsible institutions in the field of EE have expressed their willingness to fulfill the obligations arising from the Energy Community Treaty.
The Kosovo Energy Efficiency Fund has now been operationalized in accordance with the Law on Energy Efficiency. Kosovo is the first country in the region to establish a financial mechanism for Energy Efficiency measures in all sectors of energy consumption.
With the ratification of the agreement dated January 15, 2015 between the Republic of Kosovo (the Recipient) and the International Development Association for an amount of 31 million US dollars, and the successful implementation of the Kosovo Energy Efficiency and Renewable Resources Project (KEERRP), the Ministry of Economy and Environment through the Kosovo Energy Efficiency Agency, has expressed readiness for the final package for municipalities to be implemented through the Kosovo Energy Efficiency Fund under this agreement. The value of this package is 5 million euros.
To expand the scope of the program on a more sustainable basis with the establishment of the Kosovo Energy Efficiency Fund, the restructuring of the KEERRP will receive additional funding. This funding will channel 10.37 million US dollars into the grant funds of the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II) and 9.6 million euros in the field of energy efficiency.
All municipalities in Kosovo will benefit from this fund, which will be allocated to sectors such as Education, Healthcare, Administration, and others. The key aspect is the establishment of a permanent institutional structure as a financial mechanism that can sustain with the renovation of public buildings. Eventually, the fund may expand to include residential sectors, such as apartment blocks and individual houses, as well as the private business sector.
