Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 27th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview WG4: Inter-regional Cooperation and Development Author(s) Lyubimka Andreeva Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia Bulgaria Title Inter-regional Cooperation in the Energy Sector: The Case of Electricity Markets in the Balkans File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Lyubimka Andreeva Abstract Over the past few decades we are witnessing of a significant change in the development processes of energy services governance in the European Union (EU) and on a regional and a national level. The European energy policy is based on the principle that an independent regulated and competitive energy market is the most effective and efficient way to achieve a common energy market and long-term competitiveness of the economy. That is why the first long-term European objectives in the area were formulated in the early 90s with the White Paper on Energy Policy, followed by the Green Paper "Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply". These strategical documents emphasize that EU energy policy must be part of the general objectives of economic policy based on market integration and deregulation. An important step in the transition to a pan-European open electricity market is the initial integration of markets at the regional level. A key feature of regional integration is the unification of cross-border exchange trading processes with the electricity services trading process. The aim of regional market interconnection is to improve the standard of services, efficiency, competetive prices and sustainable development. From this point of view, the aim of the article is to present an overview of the inter-regional cooperation of the electricity markets in the Balkans, as part of the proses of creating common energy market in the EU. The paper relates to the EU energy integration and contains the regional aspect, based on the Bulgarian experience. Key words: EU, energy markets, integration, inter-regional cooperation, liberalization
