Energy

21 Feb 2024

Montenegro Unveils its First Draft Renewable Energy Act

Montenegro’s Renewable Energy Leap Montenegro has unveiled the Draft Renewable Energy Act as a significant step towards rapid renewable energy development.  The legislation introduces several innovations, including auctions for premiums and feed-in tariffs, to boost the country’s green energy sector. The Ministry of Mining and Energy has organized a trio of round-table discussions in Podgorica, focusing on the Draft.  This reflects Montenegro’s efforts to meet the requirements of the Energy Community, particularly in implementing the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive. Indeed, the Draft Renewable Energy Act sets an ambitious target of achieving a 50% share of renewable energy by 2030.  This […]

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21 Dec 2023

ESG Chat @ Gecić Law: Decarbonization and Growth – Economic and Sustainability Perspectives in the Western Balkans: Mikhail Korostikov, Climate Bonds Initiative

Gecić Law is pleased to announce the second edition of “ESG Chat @ Gecić Law,” an insightful series of interviews exploring the dynamic and ever-evolving world of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. Decarbonization and Growth In this edition, we bring you a thought-provoking discussion with Mikhail Korostikov, Senior Analyst at the Climate Bonds Initiative and a leading expert in green economics based in Serbia.  The interview delves into the intricate relationship between the issue of sustainability, decarbonization and economic growth.  We take a look at these phenomena from the perspective of the Western Balkans.  Central to the discussion is […]

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24 May 2023

Serbian Government Seeks Strategic Partner for Ambitious Solar Energy Project

The Serbian government announced that it is looking for a strategic partner to develop a minimum of five self-balancing solar power plants with a total installed capacity of 1,000 MWac (or 1,200 MWdc) and a battery storage system with a minimum total installed capacity of 200 MW and the ability to accumulate at least 400 MWh of electric energy.  The full text of the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Serbia in English is available here. The strategic partner will design, develop, build, and maintain the project before transferring ownership to the public power utility company (EPS) on […]

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13 Apr 2023

Gecić Law’s Story of Excellence Continued at The Legal 500 EMEA 2023

Gecić Law adds another successful year to its story of excellence after achieving impressive rankings in the 2023 edition of the prestigious Legal 500 EMEA Guide, reflecting the firm’s world-class service and the expertise of its teams and individuals. For an impressive seventh year in a row, Gecić Law’s market-leading Competition practice has earned a Tier 1 status, with significant achievements in matters with far-reaching implications not only on the clients’ businesses but on the economies of the entire region, incorporating diverse aspects, including EU law, state aid and international trade.  For a second year, the firm’s Founder and Managing […]

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24 Feb 2023

Tackling Energy Inefficiency of Old Buildings With The Help of International Lenders

The energy crisis and rising costs are not the primary driver but have certainly accelerated discussions on energy sustainability.  Responsible companies and real estate developers are already implementing construction strategies that enable energy sustainability and qualify for certificates such are LEED and BREEM.  As the market is turning greener, real estate developers are motivated to do so: it increases the demand, secures financing, and provides an overall better company image. But what about old buildings? Either built before there was awareness of the need for energy savings or just losing the battle with time, old buildings maintain energy spillage, which […]

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17 Jan 2023

The Dawn of Green Protectionism?

In her keynote speech at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos, Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commission President, outlined yesterday the main pillars of the EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan to boost Europe’s leadership in green technology on its road to carbon neutrality.  “We know we have a small window to invest in clean tech and innovation to gain leadership before the fossil fuel economy becomes obsolete,” said von der Leyen. As the plan’s regulatory pillar, she announced a new Net-zero Industry Act to support the “greatest industrial transformation of our times” and keep up with strongly incentivized programs […]

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14 Jun 2022

Serbia Takes Bold Steps Towards Renewable Energy

Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic revealed last week an aggressive national climate and energy plan that aims to increase the share of renewable energy sources (RES) fivefold to 15% by 2030, reducing dependency on coal and take Serbia into carbon-neutrality by 2050, in line with EU targets.  The EUR 35bn plan focuses on solar, wind and hydropower project and is set to mark a fundamental shift that should reshape its energy sector over the coming decades. She said the new energy and mining legislation that came into effect in 2021 is historic in its focus on RES and […]

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13 Dec 2021

European Commission Approves ’Green’ State Aid to Croatia

On December 9, 2021, the European Commission (’’Commission’’) approved Croatian State aid in the amount of EUR 783 million to support the production of electricity from renewable energy sources as part of the European Union’s endeavors to meet the climate and energy objectives set by the Communication ‘A policy framework for climate and energy in the period from 2020 to 2030’. The Croatian scheme will be open until 2023 and will be paid out to the selected beneficiaries for a period of 12 years.  The Commission assessed this scheme under the 2014 Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and […]

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09 Aug 2021

Hydrogen Economy – a New Hope for a Polluted World?

It is almost impossible to remain unfazed by the increasing detriments of global warming.  To make matters worse – the worst is yet to come, and we can only mitigate the unavoidable consequences.  To this end, the European Union (“EU”) has sought to develop a strategy for combating climate change and global warming.  The children of this effort are several significant legal acts. As part of the “Fit for 55” initiative, the EU wants to reduce net greenhouse emissions by 55% by 2030.  So, here’s where we get to the hydrogen economy. The global economy is currently based on hydrocarbons […]

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08 Jun 2021

Ognjen Colić Discusses Local Projects at 4th Serbian PPP Conference

Ognjen Colić, head of Gecić Law’s corporate practice, spoke at the 4th Serbian Public Private Partnership Conference, a hybrid event held today, organized under the auspices of the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the British Embassy in Belgrade, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia. Opening remarks were delivered by several high government officials and experts, including Tomislav Momirovic, Minister of Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure and Andjelka Atanackovic, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Serbia.  Besides high government officials, developers, contractors and service providers engaged in public-private partnerships also attended […]

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27 Apr 2021

Developments in Energy Legislation in Serbia – a Path Towards a Green Future

The adoption of amendments, and the new group of energy-related acts are crucial for Serbia’s energy transition, which is set to be implemented through several new regulations.  All countries in the Western Balkans must transition to carbon-neutral energy sectors and become part of the integrated energy market.  The main goal of the transition is to increase the share of renewable energy sources, improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Members of the Serbian Parliament adopted the Amendments to the Energy Act, the Act on Energy Efficiency and Rational Use of Energy (the “Energy Efficiency Act”) and the Amendments to […]

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