On May 20 the Electricity Market Integration Forum (EMIF), co-organized by Members of the European Parliament, Europex, Energy Community, All NEMO Committee, and ADEX Group, convened at the European Parliament.

Key Facts:

• All major stakeholders participated, including representatives from the European Commission, ACER, Energy Community, All NEMO Committee members, Members of the European Parliament, Energy Traders Europe, Ministers from EnC Contracting Parties, European Power Exchanges, and European TSOs. These stakeholders are all actively involved in the market coupling process with the EU’s internal electricity market.
• EMIF 2025 built upon the discussions initiated during EMIF 2024.
• The European Parliament hosts expressed strong support for organizing EMIF 2026 in the European Parliament.

Key Conclusions:

• For the first time, ACER openly acknowledged that the planned timelines for market coupling projects (Q4 2026 and Q1 2027) might be unrealistic.
• EnC Contracting Parties continue to face delays in transposing EU legislation into national law.
• There is a clear need for more explicit guidance from European institutions regarding the market coupling process (including MCO IP, CACM 2.0, and others) and the .
• The implementation timelines for market coupling among EnC Contracting Parties and the implementation of CBAM do not align, posing a risk to the functioning and liquidity of Power Exchanges in the Western Balkans.
• Members of the European Parliament voiced strong support for further market integration, along with a clear call for all stakeholders to accelerate the market coupling process and remove unnecessary barriers.

 Recommendations:

• Decision-makers from the EnC Contracting Parties must become more actively engaged at the European level.
• A unified approach among all EnC Contracting Parties in the Western Balkans - particularly in synchronizing the market coupling process with CBAM mechanism will yield more effective outcomes with European decision-makers.
• The EMIF platform continues to serve as a uniting key for stakeholders to accelerate the integration of Energy Community (EnC) countries into the EU’s internal electricity market and to foster meaningful dialogue with European institutions.

 

As Anže Predovnik, Chairman of the Management Board of ADEX Group, noted during the second panel:

“As the European Parliament unites Europeans, Market Coupling unites electricity markets.”