Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Regulatory and Energy Assistance Project (REAP)

as the USAID contractor. The project aimed to support the development of a regional wholesale market in BiH, in accordance with the World Bank Wholesale Market Opening Study. A joint meeting of the Energy Community Regulatory Board and the Permanent High Level Group was held on March 24, 2011, to discuss the implementation plan for the Study. All Contracting Parties to the Energy Community Treaty expressed their principal support for the regional design of the regional wholesale market and confirmed their commitment to overcome local legal gaps identified in the Study. Each Contracting Party was required to develop a Local Action Plan by the end of 2011, which would identify steps towards market integration, including target dates for establishing a local market operator and eliminating identified legal and regulatory gaps. The responsibility for implementing the Local Action Plans fell on the Ministries and regulators. Given the limited time available to develop the Implementation Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina, REAP suggested that the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations (MOFTER) undertake the necessary actions to coordinate BiH activities regarding the development of the Plan. REAP proposed that MOFTER organize a meeting with the Entity Ministries and the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) to discuss the explanatory document on the Study prepared by the three regulatory commissions and take a position on the Study's recommendations and development of the Plan. SERC was expected to inform participants in the meeting on the recent discussions with regard to the Study among different Energy Community Treaty institutions. The meeting was seen as a crucial step in the development of the Implementation Plan, and REAP was prepared to assist in future activities related to this issue. The project's goal was to support the development of a regional wholesale market in BiH, in accordance with the World Bank Wholesale Market Opening Study. The implementation of the Local Action Plan was critical to achieving this goal, and REAP's recommendations aimed to facilitate the coordination of BiH activities in this regard. The development of the Implementation Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina was a complex task that required the coordination of various stakeholders, including the Entity Ministries and the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. REAP's recommendations aimed to facilitate this process and ensure that the Plan was developed in a timely and effective manner. The project's success depended on the successful implementation of the Local Action Plan, which would enable BiH to integrate its energy market with neighboring countries and achieve greater economic efficiency.