BES strengthens energy integration and push decarbonization in Southeast Europe
Balkan energy school strengthens energy integration and push decarbonization in Southeast Europe
In 2025, the Balkan Energy School (BES) has consolidated its position as a key regional center for energy regulation, policy dialogue and capacity building across Southeast Europe. The main mission of BES is to strengthen regulatory expertise, promote market integration, and facilitate the alignment of the Balkan energy sectors with the European Union’s decarbonization goals and legislation, including the EU Green Deal and the Fit for 55 framework.
BES has carried out several capacity building projects in the Balkans, co-financed under the Know-How Exchange Program (KEP) by the Central European Initiative (CEI) fund at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), with essential contributions from the Italian government. 2025 was a year of consolidation and expansion, during which BES organized four major international seminars and launched a new multi-year project dedicated to natural gas markets.
Focus on markets and resilience
BES activities maintained a strategic focus on supporting the harmonization of Balkan energy frameworks with key EU legislation, particularly the Electricity and Gas Packages. Seminars served as platforms for regulatory innovation, tackling complex issues such as forward market design and grid resilience. For example, the 10th BES Seminar in Podgorica focused on electricity forward markets, where experts agreed that a more integrated and liquid European forward market is crucial for investor confidence and consumer protection amidst the volatility of growing renewable sources.
Gas market issues were addressed in seminars in Tirana and La Spezia, aiming to equip regional regulators with the tools needed to effectively manage gas markets during the energy transition. Discussions covered critical elements such as security of supply (LNG, storage), infrastructure regulation, and decarbonization strategies, including hydrogen integration. Participants stressed that aligning national regulatory frameworks with EU standards is vital for market integration and for supporting the accession process of non-EU Balkan countries.
Furthermore, BES dedicated its 12thseminar in Skopje to analyzing major power system incidents and blackouts in Europe and the Balkans, including the Western Balkans blackout in June 2024. Key lessons learned highlighted the importance of faster emergency detection, vegetation management, and strategic use of flexibility resources to ensure grid stability.
Key institutional milestones
A significant institutional achievement in 2025 was the first joint meeting between the Balkan Energy School and the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER), held in Brussels on November 19, 2025. This event marked an important step towards strengthening cooperation and regulatory dialogue between Euro-Balkan countries. The BES also deepened its analytical work, producing country-specific reports in collaboration with national regulatory authorities such as ARERA (Italy), ERE (Albania), and RAAEY (Greece), providing strategic perspectives on decarbonization and market reforms.
Looking ahead to 2026, BES plans to publish policy documents summarizing the best practices that emerged from the 2025 seminars. Future topics for dialogue and technical learning will include hydrogen market design, digitalization, data governance in energy networks, and the application of artificial intelligence in enforcement.