The extension of the Energy Community Treaty, the TEN-E Regulations and carbon trading mechanisms were discussed at the annual meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community, which was attended by Energy Minister Victor Parlicov, State Secretary Constantin Borosan and State Secretary at the Ministry of Environment Aliona Rusnac.

The participants at the meeting approved the extension of the Energy Community Treaty, in force since 2005, for another 10 years.

They also discussed the transposition of the revised TEN-E Regulation of the European Union, which sets new EU rules for cross-border energy infrastructure. It was voted by the Parliament on October 5 this year and will strengthen existing cross-border interconnections and help the timely construction of cross-border infrastructure by simplifying and speeding up authorization procedures.

The new TEN-E Regulation will also be instrumental in supporting the Energy Community's climate neutrality goals and its implementation will already start in 2024 with the identification of the first list of Projects of Interest for the Energy Community.

The Energy Community Secretariat presented the Implementation Report for the current year, which reflects the current state of implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Governance Regulation. The Ministerial Council called on all Contracting Parties to accelerate the full and rapid implementation of the acquis communautaire in all areas.

The Council reaffirmed its commitment to the 2021 Decarbonization Roadmap, underlining the importance of energy and climate legislation and the 2030 targets. Plans were set to update the Roadmap in 2024, with a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to continue discussions on carbon trading mechanisms. Transparent emissions data and mutual recognition of guarantees of origin were discussed as key elements of future action.

During his visit to Vienna, Energy Minister Victor Parlicov met with representatives of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, and discussed financing mechanisms for energy efficiency in the Republic of Moldova, the operationalization of the National Sustainable Energy Centre, the implementation of ISO 50001 energy management standard, and the UNIDO Country Programme beyond 2024.

The Moldovan delegation also met the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi. Topics discussed included regional cooperation and nuclear safety in the region, plans to expand generation capacity and informing the public about the benefits of nuclear energy.