(25 April 2013) The social strategy outline to accompany the regional energy strategy was presented (see below) at the 6th Social Forum. It followed the consultation which took place earlier in the year and to which EPSU contributed. The main lines of the presented strategy are based on the Memorandum of Understanding, the national action plans and the social working groups. The social strategy focused very much also on the importance of dealing with low-income households that face a (...)

(30 January 2013) The Energy Community issued a consultation paper following the Social Forum in October last year. The consultation paper request comments of the social partners and governments. For EPSU a number of issues are important: The Memorandum of Understanding on the Social issues is to remain the backbone of the Social energy strategy. The binding character should be strengthened and more resources devoted to its implementation. The democratic control over the regional energy (...)

(22 October 2012) An Energy Strategy was adopted by the Energy ministers on 18 October. The energy strategy seeks to create a common understanding of the challenges and of the need for investment in common projects both in infrastructure and production. The countries hope this will attract necessary investment. The unions have been critical as the strategy does not have a social dimension. Further integration and market opening of the electricity and gas markets will have a negative impact (...)

(17 September 2012) It was 5 years ago when the Memorandum of Understanding on the Social Aspects of the Energy Community of South East Europe was signed following pressure and actions of the trade unions in Vienna October 2007. The Minister of Labour and Social Welfare of Montenegro, Suad Numanovic, opened the 5th Social Forum. The Forum considered the progress that has been made. The overviews of the Energy Community Secretariat and the European Commission concluded that several (...)

(6 September 2012) The regional energy strategy for the Energy Community is to give a perspective for energy developments in the region until 2020 and even 2030. It was presented by Adrian Jasimi of the Energy Community Secretariat to a meeting of EPSU affiliated unions in the Energy Community. The aim of the strategy is to provide a coherent framework for further developments in the countries of the Energy Community. It argues that without action the countries in the region will be (...)

(6 November 2011) The conclusions address the social action plans, their implementation and monitoring. They also consider the involvement of the social partners in the Social Action Plans, address fuel poverty and consumer protection and the social dimension of change and restructuring. For the conclusions: http://www.energy-community.org/pls... (5 October 2011) When Ukraine and Moldova joined the Energy Community for South East Europe, EPSU and its affiliates demanded that they also sign (...)

(12 September 2011) Most unions reported that they were involved in the development of the social action plans and that progress is made. Strengthening the capacity of the social dialogue remains a challenge. Longer-term developments were considered including the restructuring and the integration of transmission systems. Several speakers attended including from the Ministry of Economy, the Macedonian regulator and the Ministry of Labour. The group agreed: To continue work on comparing (...)

The Energy Community (for South East Europe) and the Ukraine signed the Treaty 24 September 2010. EPSU has demanded that the Ukraine also sign the Memorandum of Understanding on the Social Aspects of the Energy Community. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/1173&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

(13 September 2010) The 10th Energy Round Table was opened by the State Secretary for Energy, Mr Miodrag Canovic. He gave an overview of the developments in the Energy Community for South East Europe and presented the Social Action Plan that was agreed in July in Montenegro. It includes dealing with restructuring, social dialogue and working conditions. Milorad Terciz from EPSU affiliate trade union for energy underlined the importance of protection for low income households in the plans. (...)

(16 June 2010) Speaking at the 3rd Social Forum EPSU’s Jan Willem Goudriaan presented the demands of the trade union side and compared these with the progress that had been achieved. While there has been progress as most countries now had a developed plan of action, it was still uneven. Few countries addressed the impact of restructuring on the workers. That this is important was underlined by the first results of the employment study for the European Commission. This study seeks to give an (...)