site.btaBulgarian and Greek Regulators Expand Cooperation into Water Services Sector

Bulgaria's Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) and Greece’s Regulatory Authority for Energy, Waste and Water (RAAEY) will expand their collaboration to include the water services sector, following the EWRC’s approval of a new cooperation agreement with RAAEY in the field of water regulation. The agreement establishes a legal framework for bilateral cooperation after RAAEY’s remit was extended in 2023 to include water services and urban waste management.

The two national regulatory authorities already maintain active ties in this area through their participation in international bodies, particularly the European Network of Water Regulators (WAREG), the EWRC announced on Monday.

The agreement envisions joint working meetings and seminars on mutually agreed topics. The two regulators will exchange information on regulatory policies and procedures in the water sector, share knowledge and expertise on current issues, and discuss common challenges and solutions.

This new agreement builds on the close bilateral relationship already established between the Bulgarian and Greek regulators.

In the energy sector, a trilateral cooperation agreement has been in effect since 2017 between EWRC, RAAEY, and Romania’s National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE), aimed at harmonizing regulatory frameworks across the region.

In addition to its collaboration with RAAEY and ANRE, the Bulgarian commission maintains similar cooperation agreements with the regulatory bodies of Turkiye, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Albania, Georgia, and Scotland, according to the statement.

At a meeting in June between EWRC Chair Plamen Mladenovski and Dietmar Preinstorfer, Vice-President of the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) responsible for relations with Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Mladenovski reaffirmed EWRC’s commitment to revitalizing the Balkan Advisory Forum. The forum was established in 2018 on the initiative of the Bulgarian regulator.