On 8 October, negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the Energy Community came to an end. Expectations are that the countries that are already members of the Community will support Kyiv at their December summit. However, now is the time to discuss the benefits and drawbacks for Ukraine, as membership will mean serious changes in the country’s energy sector.

This week ICPS launched a public debate on membership in the Energy Community. During an international conference entitled “Expanding the Energy Community: What this means for Ukraine,” representatives of the Government, Rada, business, the European Commission and the Secretariat of the Energy Community discussed the impact of membership for electricity, oil and gas markets.

First Day

The international conference “The Enlargement of the Energy Community: What’s in it for Ukraine?” took place on 8th October. The event was organized by the International Centre for Policy Studies and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in cooperation with the Energy Community Secretariat (Vienna). This conference was the first public event to unpack the issue of Ukraine’s membership in the Energy Community.

The conference brought together various energy-sector stakeholders, including representatives of the Government of Ukraine and business, the European Union and Energy Community Secretariat. The participants were discussing the prospects of membership for Ukraine’s energy sector, new investment opportunities and steps to be taken by the Government of Ukraine. The exclusive press-conference took place after the conference and was attended by Deputy Prime-Minister of Ukraine Hryhoriy Nemyria and Director of the Energy Community Secretariat Slavtcho Neykov.

First Press Breakfast

What is your idea of a perfect morning? Coffee, a croissant and an interesting talk about Ukraine’s joining the Energy Community—that was our morning for the press and ICPS analysts on 9 October.

At this first Press Breakfast organized by ICPS with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, journalists were able to converse with the Director of the Secretariat of the Energy Community, Slavcho Neikov and Dr. Lemlem Said Issa, Advisor to the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). This meeting took place two days after the conclusion of negotiations for Ukraine to join the Community. For both experts and the press, this is a new theme, which made a discussion of the benefits of membership and the new opportunities it might provide very timely.

Press Breakfasts is a new ICPS initiative to provide a platform for the press and experts to exchange their views on European integration topics. These breakfasts will take place twice a month and discuss such aspects as: Democratization and good governance; Social economy; Energy; EU–Ukraine Association Agreement; and Foreign Policy. This initiative offers an opportunity for journalists to get exclusive information from Ukrainian and foreign experts on various aspects of European integration in Ukraine and to start their day off in pleasant and interesting company.

If you would like to participate in such a Breakfast in future, contact ICPS Public Events Manager Anna Karnaukh by phone at (38 044) 484-4410 or via e-mail at anna.karnaukh@icps.kiev.ua